


River Fish

by orphan_account



Category: The Darkness (Comics)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Arranged Marriage, Drug Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Forced Marriage, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-09-23 13:30:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20340904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jackie Estacado has it all as a Made Man for the Franchetti Mafia.  Being of the Alpha status, he was born with robust strength and a dominate presence in a world govern by Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics.  It all comes crashing down when his Uncle arranges a marriage between Jackie and the Omega daughter of the Yakuza Boss.  And to make matters worse, his unhappy bride doesn't believe she is an Omega in the first place.For updates and more, go to my Tumblr page: RebelCourtesan





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Back by popular demand (though heavily edited).

When one receives life-changing news, especially bad news, such as being kicked out of school, losing a job, or getting a dire prognosis from a doctor, there's this state of calm before the information sinks in. The calm before the storm so to speak. Perhaps it's the moment when the mind is trying to protect itself through denial by having the recipient notice small details about his environment. For Jackie, it was the cigar smoke hanging heavy in the air stifling his sense of smell and nearly blocking out Frankie's scent. He wrinkled his nose several times wondering how the man could stand to remain in such a room polluted. No wonder his voice was so raspy.

Then finally, the state of shock was over and the news hit him hard.

“Jesus Christ, Frankie! Are you serious!?”

The elder alpha sat almost solemnly behind the heavy desk with a smoking cigar. He was an overweight Alpha with a face seemingly to have been carved from hard stone. It was usually bearing a continuous scowl, but now he was smiling jovially at Jackie. It looked as out of place as a frown on the Mona Lisa. It didn't take much to rattle Jackie so Frankie took pleasure in it.

“Yeah, Jackie, you heard right.” He stubbed out the cigar in an ashtray and fetched another one from his person. It was his favorite brand of Cuban cigars and he smoked them like a kid eating M&Ms.

The younger Alpha was floundering under the weight of the bombshell his Uncle had dropped on him. Jackie was a tall young man with shoulder length dark hair that contrasted starkly with his white suit. He usually held himself with confidence and pride, but now he was nearly bent double in horror. “Fucking Christ!”

“Stop acting like a Desperate Housewife on the rag.” The cigar tip lit up brightly as Frankie took a deep drag. He exhaled a stream of smoke that joined the fog lingering over their heads. “What are you so upset about? Mooks your age are already finding mates and having babies.”

Jackie could barely keep his voice down. It was never a good idea to shout at the Don of the top mafia family in New York, even if he was your adopted father figure. “Uncle Frankie, I love you as a father, but shit, you shoulda talked to me first before agreeing to this.”

“Talk about what? How much money we stand to make from this alliance and you're getting a fucking omega on top of it? Yeah, that conversation would end the same way this one is ending now, so lemme save you the trouble. You're doing it. Capisce?”

Jackie knew that arguing further would be useless. The Don's word was law and he, out of anyone, had no place or right to refuse it. He had been living in an orphanage better described as a hellhole run by the cruel dregs of the Catholic Church. There had barely been enough to eat each day with nuns and priests more than willing to use a paddle or switch for the smallest slights. Frankie adopted Jackie, taking him from the abuse and drudgery to his mansion on Long Island. The wealth was shared as long as one did his part, such as agreeing to a surprise marriage.

Jackie sighed as he sat back in the antique chair, his fingers lightly squeezing the hand carved arms. “So . . . who's the lucky girl?”

A pleased smile spread across Frankie's lips as he drew a photo from his desk drawer. He pushed it across the surface to his nephew. “Get a load of her.”

Jackie picked up the photo and scoured the image, then he whistled, “Good god almighty.”

A beautiful Asian woman grinned at him from the photo. Long dark hair framed her heart-shaped face and ebony eyes peered warmly at him. Asian women were beautiful, but there was a spark about her eyes that made her alluring. It was a selfie of her and a young boy leaning against her shoulder and beaming into the camera. The boy was too young to be considered a boyfriend and bear a slight resemblance to her. Most likely a brother. Written in cursive ink on the back of the photo were Hikari and Kana.

“Like whatcha see, Jackie." Frankie interrupted his admiration with a broad smile and puffing on the cigar. “Her name is Kana Maki.”

Jackie swallowed, trying to ignore the stirring in his pants. “She's hot, Uncle Frankie, I'll give you that, but I still don't like it.”

“You got three days to start liking it,” Frankie said gruffly shaking loose ash from the cigar.

Jackie laid the photo down, still not quite willing to give in. “Why me? Why not Moe or Cristo?”

“Moe is a dumbass and Cristo is too old and this is for the good of the Family.” There was a sharp edge in Frankie's brown eyes. His patience was nearly at an end. “We'll be able to branch out into Asia with this deal and with the Maki Family's backing, not even the Chicago Families can give us trouble. More money for me, more money for you, more money for the Family. Now if you want me to go out there and tell our esteem Family members that the deal didn't go through because you don’t wanna marry a beautiful Omega to make it happen, it won't just be me in line to take a bite out of you.”

Jackie knew that his bachelorhood was at its sad end. It was odd how words could change a man’s life. Moments before Frankie told him of the marriage arrangement, he had been sitting in this chair feeling on top of the world, but now he leaned forward with his hands on his hair as if he was a man just told he had only days left to live. “So how is this going to play out?”

“Maki wants this taken care of quick so it'll just be a small affair, no wedding, just a short ceremony with a magistrate.” Frankie sat back in his leather-bound chair, pleased with his nephew's submission. “Do you know the Cool Oasis? Ah, you prolly took a few broads there, you playboy. Anyway, the Makis own it and they are going to host a dinner party where you can meet your bride-to-be and then the ceremony will be the following morning.” Frankie sucked on his cigar in a deep drag, his teeth baring at the edges of his lips. “As my wedding gift, I'm givin' ya my beach house in Florida to spend your honeymoon. One month is all you get before you come back to work.”

“My apartment is a bit small to have a mate.” Jackie raised his head, desperate hope in his eyes. “It'll take months to find a new house . . .”

“Already taken care of,” Frankie waved the concern away. “The Maki family bought a house as a wedding gift for you and your new missus. It'll be ready for you to move in by the time you get back from Florida.”

Jackie pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind still struggling to process. Marriage? That was something that happened to old men who needed young babes to take care of 'em and to show off to other old men. He was too young to get married, had too many oats to sow before the ball and chain came for him. And worst yet, it was an Omega he would be wedding and Omegas were the breeders. There were sure to be children soon after and he wasn't ready to be a father, much less settle down.

Despite his own resignation, he had to try once more to dissuade his uncle. “Frankie, I love you like a father, but you can't expect me to go along with this.” Just as the words left his lips that he realized he had used the last reserves of Frankie's patience.

The smell of an angry Alpha filled the room. Though Frankie was shorter and older than Jackie, he was more intimidating than Jackie's 6'1 height and broader build when he stood with eyes glowing like hot coals. Frankie's voice came out graveled with a furious growl, “I've done a lot for you, kid. I took you from that sinkhole of an orphanage and into my home! I've fed you, clothed you, loved you as if you were my own blood, and made ya the man you are today. Wasn't for me, you'd be the poster child for the failed foster care system with no broads, cars, or suits, capisce?”

Jackie swallowed and bowed his head low in a sign of submission from one Alpha to another. “I'm sorry, Uncle Frankie. I didn't mean any disrespect. This whole thing just took me by surprise is all.”

Frankie relented, but only minutely. “I always got your best interests at heart, nephew, but the Family comes first. As Don of the Franchetti Family, it's my job to look out for our interests before the individual, including you. I know this ain't ideal for you, but the benefits of this arrangement ain't nothing to sniff at. I wouldn't be the Don if I turned this offer down just because of my nephew, no matter how precious, whines about it like an offended bitch.” Frankie glowered at Jackie expectantly, “Are you a whining bitch, Jackie? Or are you a Made man who is willing to do what's best for the Family?”

“I'm a Made man who will do whatever is best for the Family, Uncle Frankie.” He said meekly.

“Good boy.” Frankie relaxed back into his comfortable superiority. “Go out, find yourself a nice Omega bitch at Harold's Emporium. Buy yourself a couple of new suits for dinner and the ceremony. And take the photo with you and think about how you're gonna get t' fuck that every day for the rest of your life.”

Jackie pocketed the photo of Kana and left the office. He gave the bodyguards outside a cursory nod before heading out into the restaurant. It had once belonged to an entrepreneur with skill in the kitchen, but poor in gambling. To pay off the debt, he handed over the deed to the restaurant to Frankie.

In the far corner of the dining area, a couple in a booth were seating so tightly together they might as well start charging tickets or get a room. Jackie could scent they were an Alpha and his Omega. The Omega was a young woman with blonde hair piled high on her head wearing a bright red dress. Her neck and hands glittered with jewels and she pressed herself against the arm of the large Alpha, marking him with her scent. On her smooth neck was a claiming bite mark only a few weeks old. Jackie took another sniff, breathing in her scent. Omegas' scents were much different from Betas or Alphas, it was sweeter like the smell of candy or sugar, but there was a deep rich musk to it that he and other Alphas found mouthwatering and irresistible. Like smelling a wonderful meal during starvation.

The Alpha noticed Jackie staring at his Omega and bared his teeth with a silent growl. The Omega looked alarmed until she noticed Jackie. She tucked herself against her Alpha and winked at him over his shoulder. Though she was flirting, if anything should happen to the Alpha, she would be devastated. The pair-bond made them both chemically attached to each other through a powerful emotional and mental bond. A love drug was the popular term for the chemicals released during the creation of a pair-bond and there were numerous theories revolving around the subject, some that made sense and others that didn't.

Usually, Jackie would enjoy answering the challenge of another Alpha, especially if it was a fight over an Omega, but tonight he wasn't in the mood. He turned away without resigning or submitting to the challenge, simply ignoring it. Ignoring a challenge was a severe insult for any Alpha. The Alpha nearly rose to his feet, but a waiter hurried over and quickly whispered a few words into the Alpha's ear and he quickly sat back down, nearly going pale at the near-fatal mistake he would have made if he had gone after Jackie.

Jackie made his way to his parked red Lamborghini and upon climbing inside, sagged against the seat. He drew the picture from his pocket and studied the Omega. It helped that she was jaw-dropping gorgeous and she wasn't even wearing makeup or appeared to have had any work done on her face or body. He very much liked what he saw. What he didn't like was being roped into committing his life to one female.

What better way to drown his sorrows than at Keyser's. The bar where Jenny worked out. Talking to her always helped. And a trip to Harold's Emporium always helped even more. Jackie turned on the engine and left the restaurant and the last day of his normal life behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Keysers pulsed with the life all popular clubs carried on the late weekend nights. Crowds of people waited in a long line around the building as music pounded through the brick walls. The neon blue sign cast a sickly glow over the people glaring at Jackie. He walked past the line and went in through the front door with only a knowing nod from the bouncer. The dance floor was lively with squirming bodies of dancers. The air was filled with the scent of aroused Alphas and Betas. Occasionally, a warning growl would break through the music. Sometimes it was a Beta warding off an unwanted suitor or an Alpha or Beta warning off a rival. Heavyset bouncers carefully watched the crowd and intervened before anything went beyond growls and hissing.

Jackie made his way through the crowd to the bar where a pretty Beta bartender worked. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail leaving her face bare. Bright green eyes greeting him with intense affection and a warm smile on her full lips. It was the same smile she had given him since they were small children. Though they weren't related, they shared a relationship akin to siblings since they were both brought to the orphanage at the same time. He had protected her from their abusive caretakers, often taking the brunt of punishment on her behalf. When Frankie adopted him, she was left behind and, unfortunately, had never been adopted. When she outgrew the childcare system, Jackie got her a job at Keysers and found her a decent apartment. A word in the bar owner's ear granted her a lax schedule that allowed her to attend college courses.

"Hi, Jackie. Glass of milk?"

"Sorry, Jenny, I'm gonna need something stronger than that. How about a whiskey instead?"

"You look like something the dog crapped on the floor," Jenny replied, setting a glass on the counter. "What's eating you?"

"I feel like Uncle Frankie just pushed me off a building and then dropped a huge piano on my head like in one of those cartoons." Jackie gratefully took the glass and nearly drained it in one gulp.

"Don't keep me in suspense. What does Frankie have you doing now?" She gave him another drink after he laid down money to pay for the first one.

Jackie downed it in one gulp and gave the alcohol a moment to spread through his system. "It's stupid. It's like something from some dime romance novel. Frankie set me up with an arranged marriage."

If the news hadn't been so bad for him, he would have found Jenny's reaction priceless. She froze in the middle of cleaning a glass. Her face drained of color, and her eyes stare at him blankly. She set the still dirty glass on the counter with a thump so loud Jackie expected to see a crack along the lip. Finally, she managed to speak, "You're joking."

"I wish I was, Jen. I wish to God I was joking, but I ain't." Jackie imagined he had been in the same state of shock earlier when Frankie dropped the bomb. "It's gonna happen next week."

Jenny exhaled a long sigh and nearly swayed on her feet. At first, Jackie was fearful she was going to fall, but she recovered and leaned against the bar. "Jesus Christ! Can he do that? This is a free country! He can't make you marry someone."

"Uncle Frankie can pretty much make anyone do whatever he wants 'em to do," Jackie replied.

"But you don't want to get married, do you?"

"Hell, no. I don't want a mate. I've gone this long just fine without one, so I don't see how getting one now is going to help me." Jackie glanced wistfully at his empty glass, wanting another drink.

He was startled when Jenny slapped the top of the counter with both hands and leaned forward, bringing her face close to his. He leaned back for some space and nearly toppled off the stool. "Then don't do it, Jackie. Jesus, just because you work for the man and he adopted you doesn't mean he can dictate your life. Tell him no, you won't do it."

Jackie sighed, feeling very tired at that moment. Jenny knew he worked with the mob, but she didn't know to what extent his activities within the organization went. She believed Jackie help smuggle drugs and other illegal products through the harbors but had no idea Jackie was a hitman. Nor did she know anything about the many murders, mutilations, and tortures he had engineered. It was going to be hard to make her understand the obligations he had to Uncle Frankie and the Family as a Made Man. "I can't tell him no, Jen. I know you don't understand why, but I can't. I have to go through with it."

Jenny blinked several times as she stood back from the bar. She looked as if Jackie's own words had cut her open and scooped out the insides. He had never seen her like this. He had seen her angry and upset before, but he had never seen her so devastated. She stared at him as if she didn't recognize him and swallowed visibly before saying in a neutral tone, "I'm going to take off early tonight, Jackie. I think I'm coming down with something. Goodnight."

With that, she turned and walked through the doorway leading to the back. Jackie stood up and leaned forward, watching her retreat, "Jenny, c' mon, what's wrong?"

He had been sure she would be just as unhappy as him about the marriage, but he never expected to receive such a reaction from her. Well, tonight just sucked for everyone.

* * *

Over the rest of the week, Jackie stayed out of Frankie's sight and avoided speaking about the upcoming nuptials. The news of the marriage had spread, and it seemed that any Alpha with an Omega mate had plenty of advice to give him. He was bombarded with tips about how to treat his new mate. Such as providing her plenty of food and water during her estrous and giving her space when she nested. Jackie zoned out whenever he found himself trapped with such an Alpha after a shakedown or hunting down a target. He managed to find time to purchase two new suits; his usual white one and a black one for the ceremony. He assumed Kana would want to be the one wearing white at their wedding and his wearing white might get him struck by lightning.

He went back to Keysers to see Jenny was alright, but she had taken the week off. When he went to her apartment, there was no answer, and her scent was days old. She must be staying at a girlfriend's house. He knew she had a few Beta friends from college, but he couldn't remember their names or where they lived. It bothered him when he remembered how hurt she had looked when he last saw her. He needed to talk to her, to sort out what was wrong.

He had protected Jenny as long as he could remember. They had endured together in that horrible orphanage until Frankie came for him. After that, he saw to it that she was safe from any abuse during her time there. It worried him that there was something wrong with her and there was nothing he could do about it as it seemed she was avoiding him.

Two days before the dinner party, he got a call from one of her friends. At first, he didn't recognize the Beta's voice over the phone until she introduced herself as Kelly Kelly. Her maiden name had been Kelly Santos until she married a Jeremy Kelly. Now she went by the name Kelly Kelly to everyone who found it funny her first name was the same as her surname.

"Oh, hey, Kelly Kelly." Jackie remembering she had been a cute Beta with short dark hair and serious blue eyes. He also recalled that she wasn't too fond of him, so why would she be calling him? "What's going on?"

"I just want to know what the hell you did to Jenny. She has been in my house, crying her eyes out about you for the last four days." There was an underlying growl in her voice, a voice that he found annoying. It had a bitchy timbre.

"Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

"No, you may not talk to her. Now you tell me what you did to her before I come down there and slash your tires. Jenny is too nice a girl for you to fuck with, asshole."

What the hell was going on with Jenny? Usually, when she was upset, she wasn't afraid to let him know it. "I don't know. All I did was tell her I was getting married and she just freaked out."

There was a long moment of silence. For a brief second, Jackie wondered if they had somehow got disconnected or she hung up. Then Kelly's voice came across the line in whispered disbelief. "You told her you were getting married? To her face!?"

"Uh, yeah," Jackie said slowly.

"And you have no idea why she got upset?"

"No, I don't."

There was another long silence. Before Jackie could say anything, Kelly's voice yelled across the line, "Jackie Estacado, you are a goddamn piece of shit! I cannot believe I have to do this. I shouldn't be the one doing this."

"Whatever it is, then don't do it." Jackie rolled his eyes. "Listen, Kelly, there is a lot of shit I would rather be doing than getting the fucking run around from you. So tell me what's wrong with Jenny, or I'm hanging up."

"Fine. Jenny is in love with you. She's been in love with you her whole life."

This time, it was Kelly who got a long silence. "Jackie, are you there?"

"Yeah . . . I'm here." It was as if the floor had dropped from beneath him and he was falling into a black pit.

"The reason she's upset is that she's been in love with you since childhood. You're all she talks about. She doesn't go on dates or thinks about other men because she's waiting for you to realize the same thing she's known since childhood; that you love her as much as she loves you."

Jackie, once again, felt floored by a bombshell. His usual wit was gone, replaced by a thick tongue that struggled to speak, "I-is she there? I . . . I need to talk to her."

"She's asleep right now, but I'll tell her to call you tomorrow." Kelly's voice took on a more gentle tone. Maybe it was because she heard the genuine shock in his voice.

"Thanks." Jackie hung up and sagged against the couch cushions as if he were boneless.

He didn't know of how long he stared listlessly at the tv, not able to follow the plot of the drama or the message in the commercials. Six words repeated over and over in his brain like a chant. _Jenny is in love with you._

"Christ!" He snarled as he slapped his head across his brow hard enough to make him see stars. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

How the hell could he have been so blind!?

* * *

Jenny called the next day. He barely recognized her voice, which had been strained from days of crying and stress. Jackie asked her to meet with him in a coffee shop near the college campus, and she agreed. He was still tired from staying up last night, lamenting his blind stupidity and meeting in a coffee shop was a better idea than he anticipated.

He ordered a black coffee and waited in the corner in a deep-seated chair. He smelled Jenny before she appeared at the doorway. Her chestnut hair hung down her shoulders, and she wore a light sweater with khaki pants and tennis shoes. Her appearance was cleaned, but she looked tired, and sadness hung around her like a dark cloud. When she sat down in the chair opposite his, he offered to order her a coffee, but she shook her head.

"No, I . . .I just want to get this over with." Jenny set her purse on the floor near her feet and leaned forward, her hands clasped together on her knees. "Kelly told you, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did." Jackie cast his eyes to the side, not enjoying this one bit. "I want to say I'm sorry. If I had known . . ."

"No, you didn't know, and that's my fault." Jenny sighed, giving him a sad smile. "All I did was wait. I sat on the side and waited because I was so scared that if I approached you, you would turn me down. I guess waiting didn't do any good because you're getting married in a couple days. Unless . . .” She looked at him, and it broke his heart to see the pinprick of hope in those green eyes.

Jackie slowly shook his head. "Jenny, honey, I love you. Believe me, I do. You've been the sister I never had and maybe . . .maybe . . .we could have been something more . . .if we had time, but we don't. I got to go through with this marriage. Uncle Frankie, he's been good to me. Too good for me to let him down."

And just like that, the hope died as quickly as a snuffed candle. Tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked them back, but one slipped out and rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. "I guess it wasn't in the cards for us, huh, Jackie?"

Jackie thought back to playing with Jenny on the orphanage playground, sending and receiving her letters, and taking her out to get Italian sodas when they were teens. Then sitting at the bar she worked and hooking up with bimbos in front of her, never once thinking that her feelings for him were anything more than sisterly love for a brother. "I'm sorry." It was all he could give her.

"Do you have a picture of her?" Jenny asked.

"Yes . . ."

"May I see her?"

Jackie nearly told her that he left it in his other pants or he had lost it. Instead, he took it out of his billfold and passed it to her. He watched Jenny study the photo imagining her flying into a rage and tearing the image of the woman stealing the love of her life to pieces. Instead, Jenny handed the picture back with a small smile, "She's beautiful, Jackie. I hope she realizes how lucky she is."

Shame speared him in the gut. How could he imagine Jenny doing anything like that? She was too good and pure to do such a thing. "Her name is Kana."

"You should bring Kana to the Keyser to say hello sometime. I think I would like to be her friend." Jenny gave a small chuckle, "I can tell her some embarrassing stories about you."

"Not as many as I got about you," he retorted. After a sobering moment, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take some time off from work. I have some money saved that I was going to use for Spring Break, but I think Kelly and I are going to go on a short vacation by ourselves instead. We're leaving this afternoon."

"Oh, have fun then," Jackie offered and felt like a lout for saying it.

He watched her collect her purse and saw that she had grown from being a tiny frighten girl into a beautiful Beta. Where he had protected her fiercely as a little boy, he had smashed her heart as a grown man. He hated himself with a passion at that moment. How could he have done this to her? Wasn't he supposed to take care of her and protect her? Now he was the perpetrator who had harmed her.

Jenny left, but her scent still lingered.


	3. Chapter 3

Until the day of the dinner party, Jackie felt like shit. He shifted between guilt over Jenny and dread of his impending marriage. He couldn't get the sight of Jenny's final heartbreaking smile when she left the coffee shop and knowing he was the cause for that pain. There wasn't much for it. As Frankie had not so delicately put it, he was marrying Kana Maki, and that was an irrefutable fact. The picture of Kana was a soothing balm; as much as he hated getting married, getting hitched to such beauty made it more palatable. 

The night of the dinner party, he dressed smartly donning his usual pristine white suit with rich cologne enhancing his natural Alpha musk. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he left his apartment after taking one last look at it. He was coming back after the dinner party, but tonight would be his last night as a bachelor, and this apartment had been the site of many, many trysts, one night stands, and affairs. Not to mention that one time when he brought a pair of gorgeous twins here for the night. 

He was a lucky man to be born with such striking features that made women crave him, and he had the charm to seal the deal each time. He was God's gift to women, and he made it his mission to share himself around. True, a few women had their hearts broken by his lack of commitment, but he never thought of himself as a one-woman man. 

But Jackie certainly didn't feel lucky as he drove to the hotel hosting the dinner party. He sat in the Lamborghini and entertained a fantasy of leaving and driving down to Florida to find Jenny, but again nasty reality reared its ugly head and popped his fantasy bubble. He drew a breath, checked his appearance in the rearview mirror, and saw his usual handsome mug. It was going to be wasted. Jackie got out of the car and went inside. He tried to keep from slouching like a man going to the guillotine. 

The crisp, clean air of the lobby met him like a splash of ice water. The interior had an Oriental design with gentle music playing from hidden speakers. A woman wearing a formal uniform greeted him with a bow at the waist. When he told her he was here for the Franchetti and Maki dinner party, she directed him down a hall. Waiting for him was Beta soldier Moe, a skinny man already balding by age 28. He was nursing a scotch, most likely his first of many that night. When he saw Jackie, he gave him his usual off-handed grin. "Hey, here comes the groom."

"That doesn't happen until tomorrow," Jackie said sourly.

"Aw, Jackie, be happy. It's not every day an Alpha gets engaged to an Omega. Usually, it's just us Betas." Moe clapped him on the back and walked with him to the dining hall.

Jackie grunted, "Did the Makis arrive yet?"

"Naw, not yet. Just the Family. Frankie is in there with . . ."

Before Moe could finish that sentence, Jackie came to an abrupt halt with his nostril's flaring when he picked up a scent he recognized and despised. "Oh, fuck. No, no, no, no, no . . ." He bared his teeth with a thick snarl. Of all the people he didn't want to witness this, it was her. He rounded on Moe growling, "She's in there, isn't she?"

"Yeah, flew in this morning. She said she wanted to be here for your big day," Moe dropped his gaze from Jackie's, sensing the larger Alpha's distress.

"Oh, I bet she does," Jackie hissed, his hands clenching and unclenching as he imagined them around Appolonia's throat.

Appolonia, if there were ever a title for Queen Bitch of the World, she'd hold it with no rivals. She was Frankie Franchetti's daughter, an only child and the old Alpha adored her as if the sun, moon, and stars revolved around her. To everyone else, she was a fierce female who was not to be trifled with unless her wrath ruined their lives. 

Jackie recalled back in her senior year of high school, she had a rival with whom she was competing for the position of valedictorian. During finals, the girl had been forced into a back alley where she had been gang-raped and then set on fire. Needless to say, she never finished her final year of high school, and the title of valedictorian went to Appolonia. It wasn't until later, through the grapevine, Jackie learned that it was Appolonia's secret lover, a then 23-year-old drug dealer who was responsible for orchestrating the attack. Later, he died from a drug overdose, but Jackie suspected that Appolonia had arranged for him to receive a bag of cocaine cut with rat poison. She was a hateful woman, but she saved the venom of her hatred for Jackie Estacado, the orphan boy who encroached on her territory when Frankie brought him to live in their Long Island mansion. Their sibling rivalry made mob wars seem tame in comparison.

"You gonna be alright, Jackie boy?" Moe asked nervously, a sheen of sweat appearing across his balding head.

"Yeah, I just . . .I just need a few minutes. Tell Frankie I'm in the restroom and I'll join him shortly." Jackie needed time to calm down and get himself ready for Appolonia's ridicule and vicious taunts. 

In the restroom, he washed his face, letting the cold water cool off the burning rage he had been feeling since smelling Appolonia's scent. When she went off to study abroad, he threw a private party in his bachelor pad just hours after her plane left for Europe. That morning, when he showered off the smell of booze and sex from his body, he sang, "Ding dong, the bitch is gone." Now the bitch was back and at the worst possible time. This marriage was going to ruin his life. Jenny, the woman he loved most, leaves in tears and then Appolonia, the woman he hated most, comes back to sneer at him and he hadn't even met the bride yet. She better be worth all this misery because he couldn't see how it could get any worse.

He left the restroom and joined his uncle in the dining room, where less than ten minutes later, he saw how worse it could get.

He hadn't been seated for a moment before Appolonia started. She had taken after her mother in appearance with exceptional bone features with a small chin and high cheekbones, but she carried her father's ruthless personality. She would be beautiful if it weren't for the calculating, cold glint in her brown eyes, the same shade as Frankie's. She was seated primly in a small black dress that hugged her lithe body in all the right places, but never once had Jackie ever been attracted to her. He rather take his chances of sleeping with a rattlesnake. "So, dear cousin, are congratulations in order or consolations?"

"Now, Appolonia . . ." Frankie gently chided her. "This is Jackie's big night, don't tease him too much."

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it, Poppa." Appolonia smiled back at her father as sweetly as poison. It could be mistaken as affection, but Jackie knew Appolonia too well. She hated her father, utterly despised him and Frankie, who was usually a shrewd and observant man, was blind to her loathing. Jackie wasn't sure whom she hated more; him or Frankie. 

Jackie motion for a caterer to come over and helped himself to a glass of champagne. "I've been thinking about this marriage alliance, and I've come around. It's a good idea. In fact, I heard that the head of the Russians has a son who's a Beta. Who knows, if this works out with the Yakuza, ya might want to give those Russkis a call and set something up between him and Appolonia."

Her reaction was priceless. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes switched to Frankie, who actually looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head dismissively, "Nah, my baby girl already has big plans in Paris and London."

The baby girl in question threw him a glare that could melt rock. Jackie flashed her a bright smile and sipped champagne enjoying his victory, though small, over her. She would be silent for a while, sulking until she found new arsenal to use against him. He scanned the diners, recognizing many and seeing new faces, some of them associates respected enough to get invited and overseeing it all like a king at a banquet was Kenneth Irons with his ever-present bodyguard Ian Nottingham standing just behind him. The silver-haired Alpha was the one all the other Alphas, Uncle Frankie included, bowed to. He masterminded the criminal underworld, and nothing happened without his approval; meaning no alliances, no wars, or deals happened without his permission. Irons was present for dinner and as he would be tomorrow morning to witness the ceremony. Many would believe Jackie should feel the honor to have an esteemed guest attend such an event in his honor, but Jackie just felt the pressure build even more on top of him. 

Finally, he caught the whiff of Omega. He raised his head to see the Omega from the picture appear in the doorway with the largest Beta male he had ever seen. Betas usually came in average sizes and heights, but this man could easily be over seven feet tall. He was stooping to keep from brushing the top of his head on the doorway. He towered over everyone in the dining room and dwarfed the smaller Omega with his great height. Though the Beta stole most the attention, Jackie's eyes were for the Omega only. 

The photo did not do her justice. She was lovely with her long dark hair tied back in a loose braid hung forward over her shoulder. And she wore a light-colored dress with a beige jacket. Appolonia exuded menace and malice like a witch, this woman held her head with the serene authority of a queen. Her eyes looked over the room, just absorbing all the details of the people. 

"Stop staring, ya mook, and go say hello to her," Frankie whispered, giving Jackie a wink. "You can thank me later after dinner."

Jackie rose from his chair and took pleasure in the seething anger on Appolonia's face. Obviously, she hadn't seen the picture of Kana yet and had come expecting to see him engaged to a fatty or a plain jane. He waggled his eyebrows at her before wading his way through the tables and guests. The large Beta noticed his approach and stiffen, ready to step forward to intervene if he came with ill intentions. The Omega tilted her head, studying Jackie as if he were a new curiosity, but a polite smile was on her lips. "Jackie Estacado?"

"Yes, sweetheart, that's me." He gave her one of his usual charming smiles, the sort that had women melting on the spot.

Her polite smile deepened, and he took rich pleasure in that. He reached for her hand but froze. Something nagged at him since he drew close to her, and only now that he realized what was wrong. He smelled Omega . . .but not from this young woman. She smelled like an Alpha! He leaned in and discourteously sniffed her face and hair. She was an Alpha!

"Is something wrong, Mr. Estacado?" The Alpha female asked, leaning away from him and even taking a step back to put more space between them. 

"Aren't you Kana?" He leaned forward and would have taken a step if the Beta hadn't growled thunderously at him. 

"Oh, no!" The Alpha female looked offended. "No, I'm Hikari Maki, Kana's older sister."

Jackie blinked. Waitaminute. The photo . . . The selfie of this woman and the boy . . . Hikari and Kana, it had read. So if this was Hikari . . . Oh shit.

Hikari turned to speak to someone sulking just outside the doorway. "Kana, come meet your fiance."

"Don't wanna," came a gruff reply. The voice was feminine and pleasantly rich tone. 

"Kana," Hikari said warningly. "Papa will be very angry if you continue to be rude."

"Don't care," came the same reply.

Hikari turned to the Beta. "Toshi, bring her out."

The large Beta shuffled over a few steps, reached around the edge of the doorway with a hand as wide as a car steering wheel. After a brief scuffle, Toshi held a scowling girl off the floor by the dress shirt. He planted her on the floor before Jackie. The sweet scent of an Omega told him this was the one. And she was the one in the photo he had mistaken for a boy. She glared up at him with dark eyes. Her short hair stuck up in unruly tufts despite great pains to brush it straight. Instead of a dress, she wore black dress pants and a dark long-sleeve shirt. The Omega barely had any feminine curves with a chest almost as flat as a boy's.

Jackie felt sick. 

"Jackie, this is Kana." Hikari said in a more gentle tone to him, but her eyes narrowed in her sister's direction and ordered, "Kana, say hello to Mr. Estcado."

Kana crossed her arms and snorted.

He swallowed and asked in a voice he barely recognized as his own. One could say it was a sob, "You're Kana?"

"Yeah, and you need a haircut, Calzone."

"Kana!" Hikari admonished. 

Frankie Franchetti will always remember the look on Jackie's face when he turned around. It was the look he had seen once, years ago. He had been a capo when Jimmy Franchetti ran the Family. They had caught a rat in their ranks and took him out on a yacht into the Atlantic where they tied concrete blocks to his ankles and tossed him overboard. It was the look of a drowning man desperately reaching out for a lifeline and being dragged down into the depths.


	4. Chapter 4

Frankie Franchetti was pissed. His subordinates could smell his fury, and it was raising their hackles. The Alphas had gnashed their teeth towards the Yakuza Alphas who answered with deep guttural growls. The tension filled the air with the scents of angry Alphas ready to start ripping into each other at the single command of their respective leaders who were in the next room hashing out the cause of the tension.

In a small private room, sitting together at a large round table was three major Alphas. On one side was Frankie Franchetti munching on a cigar with his small eyes glaring like hot coals and standing behind him no less angry was Jackie Estacado, his number one hitman and adopted nephew. On the other side was Kousetsu Maki, a tall Japanese man with dark hair peppered with white at the temples sitting with a cool demeanor. Behind him towered Toshi, the largest Beta Jackie had ever seen, wearing a Hawaiian shirt that must have once been a table cloth for it to fit his expansive frame. And between these, them was the top Alpha himself: Kenneth Irons with his confidante and bodyguard Ian Nottingham watching them with cold gray eyes.

Irons' left hand lightly tapped the table surface while his other hand was tucked away in his pocket, a habit many have seen him do in public. He was studying the material that started the tension and may cause a mob war if the situation got out of control. His icy blue eyes switched between the two men and then the photo, "All of this over a misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding my ass!" Frankie snarl slamming a meaty fist on the table and jabbed a thick finger at Maki, "That fuck intentionally misled me to believe the older daughter was gonna marry my nephew, not the string bean."

If Frankie's accusation offended Maki, he didn't show it. The Japanese man spoke calmly without raising his voice, "I told you my daughter Kana was an Omega. You requested a recent photo of her and the one I sent was taken a week ago. As you can see, she is present there in the photo. I complied with your wishes, and you accepted my offer. I do apologize that there has been a misunderstanding, but the fault of it does not lie with me."

Jackie snorted, and Frankie snarl through bared teeth and spittle flew from his mouth as he barked, "Don't give me that shit! You couldn't take two seconds to draw a circle or an arrow to point out the right one! Or, hey, how about a fucking note saying the shrimp is the Omega! What was I supposed to do! Smell the picture for her scent!?"

Kousetsu responded, no less bothered than before, "If you had contacted me with the inquiry of which was which, I would have told you Kana was the younger girl. You came to the assumption my elder daughter, Hikari, was the intended on your own."

This time Jackie couldn't stay silent. His growl vibrated in his throat, "Bullshit. You fucking knew that if Frankie saw that little whelp was the Omega, he woulda turned ya down. You did this bait and switch on purpose!"

Something was bothering Jackie. Kousetsu Maki didn't look like a stupid man. Surely he knew that when the truth came out at the dinner party, there would be problems. And he seemed pretty collected taking everything Frankie threw at him calmly as if he were expecting this. What the Hell was his game?

Irons cleared his throat to gain their attention, "Maki, I have to side with Franchetti on this. It was a dirty trick as you could have been clearer on which daughter was the Omega."

"Or told us they were both girls," Jackie hissed under his breath. 

If it bothered Maki that Irons sided against him, again it didn't show. Maki had an excellent poker face and didn't seem phased in the least about this turn of events, "I offer my sincerest apologies as I meant no disrespect to the Franchetti Family and I still wish to move forward with the marriage if possible."

No fuckin' way, pal. Despite his anger, a part of him was glad to see it all fall apart. No marriage, no problem for him. 

"I feel the same way," Irons said, turning his eyes to Frankie. "There is much profit to be made on all sides. It would be a shame to see it all crumble before it has a chance to come to fruition."

Frankie glared fiercely across the table at the two men. "Not unless my nephew gets the female, I was led to believe he was promised."

Maki firmly shook his head, "Impossible. Hikari is already engaged to an associate of mine in Japan since last Fall, and she is an Alpha. Kana is the Omega I promised you."

"That is true. It's only proper that an Alpha marries and mates with an Omega." Irons said switching sides with barely a blink. 

"She's a kid!" Jackie blurted out. "I'll break her in half if I mate with her!"

"Kana is an Omega who has experienced her first cycle two weeks ago," Maki said never loosing his impassive exterior. "If you fear she cannot physically withstand an Alpha in a rut, then let me assure you that despite her size, she has strong fortitude and endurance."

"And she is above all an Omega," Irons pointed out. "You were promised an Omega, and she is, by her delicious scent, definitely an Omega."

Irons words rang with the horrible truth. Omegas were the smallest minority, with there being one for every fifty Alphas. Jackie glanced down at Frankie, who was looking thoughtful and calculating. Having worked for the man for years, he knew what Frankie was thinking. The Don still wanted the deal to go through. Though Maki had fooled them, they were still getting what he promised though not up to the standard they had been led to believe. Jackie was in trouble, and he knew it. 

The Franchetti Alpha clicked his tongue, tasting the air before speaking, "I want to move forward with this marriage too, but we were still tricked into accepting this deal which we don't appreciate at all. Before I can agree to move forward with this, there must be reparations for the disrespect you've shown the Franchettis."

Just when he thought he had dodged a bullet, he was going to be hit by a missile.

"Of course. I can relinquish two my of massage parlors on the east side of China Town," Maki offered. "I'm sure the Franchetti Family will find them substantial reparation."

Frankie's eyes narrow in consideration before his head bobbed in acceptance. "That's good for me, but what about my nephew? He's the one going to be marrying the runt." 

Maki's eyes shifted to Jackie, and without pause, for thought, he said, "I believe your nephew enjoys Italian sports cars. I will arrange a Ferrari and a Lamborghini to be waiting in the driveway of his new home upon his return from the honeymoon."

Jackie looked down at his uncle, who was staring back at him. The elder Alpha gave him a slight nod, and Jackie knew he was once again sunk. Jackie had nearly crawled out of the pit by tooth and nail and yet he was knocked back in with the sides caving in on him. He gave the only answer he could provide. "I accept your gifts, Mr. Maki. I'm looking forward to joining our two families with your daughter."

* * * 

Sitting off to the far corner of the dining room, Kana scowled at the twin doors where her future was being discussed without her presence or input. Her sister sat opposite her at the small table they were sharing and glared at her with severe disapproval. Kana couldn't care less about her opinion.

"I told you to be polite!" Hikari growled in a similar tone as their father. Her Japanese was a hiss when she was angry. "Look at what you've done."

"No, look at what Papa did," Kana muttered. "He's the one that lured them here with your picture."

Hikari's attractive features turned pink for a moment, but her anger didn't abate. "But you made it worse when you insulted your fiance. If you had just been polite, then maybe . . ."

Kana scoffed, "It wouldn't have mattered if I was trying to hand him bars of gold! He wanted you! He was practically drooling all over you." She fixed the double doors with a glare. "Maybe they're calling the whole thing off."

"You better hope they aren't." Hikari leveled her eyes on Kana. "Not only will Papa be very angry, but this will be an embarrassment for the whole family. And this is for your benefit, you know. He's a strong, rich, and handsome Alpha who can give you many healthy children, the best that any Omega could hope for."

"Then, you take him. I don't want 'im." 

"You know I'm already engaged!" Hikari blurted outraged. "I'm getting married next month!" 

"Yeah, I know," Kana rolled her eyes. "That's all Mama can talk about. Not that I really care or anything, but where's my big wedding with the fancy cake and fancy dress?"

Hikari sniffed with a toss of her hair, "I thought you didn't care about this marriage. Now you want a whole wedding ceremony?

"No, it's just that . . . never mind," Kana muttered looking down at her feet.

Hikari's harshness subsided, just a bit. "Kana, Mama, and Papa didn't have the time to plan out a wedding for you. You presented as an Omega so suddenly . . ."

"Don't worry about it, never mind." Kana crossed her arms, almost turning her back to her sister, anything to escape the topic Hikari was encroaching on. 

* * * 

When they emerge from the next room, Frankie and Maki were walking close together, signifying their lack of aggression, and there was to be no bloodshed. With the crisis over, tension evaporated from the room, and the diners went back to enjoying their meals and drinks. Maki raised a hand motioning towards a corner where his wife and daughters had been waiting. Much to Jackie's irritation, Appolonia was slinking towards them with the assured grace of a snake. A nasty smile stretched across her sultry lips when she noticed his distress. 

Kana's eyes lowered, refusing to make any eye contact with her family or future husband and in-laws. Kana's mother, Eclipse Maki, was a fair hair Eurasian. Her hair was arranged in a stylize braid woven close to the head, and she gave the same emotionless expression as her husband. She wore a dark dress that fit her snugly, showing that despite her age and bearing two children, she had kept a figure that Jackie took a moment to appreciate before he let himself get towed into the gloom of officially meeting his fiance. 

Kana tried to hang back, but she was prodded forward with a sharp finger from her mother. Maki spoke to his younger daughter as if he was talking to any soldier in his organization. "Kana, this is Jackie Estacado. He will be your husband after tomorrow morning. Treat him with the respect he deserves, and he will take care of you and the children you bear him."

Jackie felt a wave of nausea and shock come over him. By this time next year, he was expected to be a father and a second child on the way. That was what happened when an Alpha and Omegas pair up; babies soon come along. Betas breeding together had few problems, but when Alphas mate most of the time fertility drugs were needed to produce a child. With Alphas and Omegas, it happened naturally, usually from the first estrous in the marriage.

While Jackie absorbed this poisonous truth, his future bride looked him up and down, and it was apparent from the echo of a grimace on her face that she did not like what she saw. However, with her strict parents and several Alphas watching her, she swallowed and muttered, "It's nice to meet you."

Maki seemed to accept his daughter's, albeit reluctant, greeting. "Mr. Franchetti, Mr. Estacado, I have arranged for a private dining room set aside for our children to share their first meal and get to know one another before the ceremony."

Franchetti nodded, "Sounds like a good idea. Appolonia and I will give you two kids privacy. C'mon, baby girl."

Appolonia who had been silently enjoying the show wasn't happy about being taken away from it. She walked away with her father, but not before giving Jackie a twisted smirk. God, he had the pleasure of forgetting what a bitch she was, and now it was all coming back to him. The snide remarks, the vicious insults, the fistfights in the backyard when they were kids, her scratching his first car with a nail file, and him breaking her date's leg night of the prom. Good times. 

Alright, if one had to go to Hell, he might as well dive right in. Jackie held a hand towards his future mate, "Shall we?"

Kana looked away, her eyes burning with silent defiance and anger. Her arms were crossed tightly over her flat chest, refusing to budge them from her armpits. 

"Kana . . ." Hikari, the beautiful Alpha sister, whispered in a hushed warning. 

Kana's lips tighten into a thick line, likely to hold back a sharp rebuke. Jackie kept his hand out, his own lips in a tight line. He didn't like this any more than she did, but if he had to go through with this, then she had better stop fighting it and deal. C'mon, you little shit. Just take my fucking hand.

Yet, Kana continued to be defiant. Then Maki's hand clamped on Kana's shoulder. His voice was cold, "My daughter is shy, and a bit overwhelmed from meeting you. If you wouldn't mind, I'll walk with her to the dining room."

Jackie lowered his hand, grateful, but still irritated by Kana's defiance. "Yeah, no problem."

Maki gave him a short bow in gratitude. Jackie turned on his heel and walked away with one last wistful look at Hikari who was curiously looking concern at her father and Kana. Kana and Maki walked out, with Maki's hand firmly on her shoulder. There was little fanfare at their departure as the brief crisis which had sucked out the celebratory mood of the whole affair had passed, and everyone was just glad to eat and drink in peace. 

So what was the proper procedure for this? This supposedly was the first date between himself and his soon to be mate. If this were a woman he desired, he would have been all over her; caressing her arm, whispering sweet promises into her ear, opening the door for her, pulling out the chair . . . but the father was here with a little snot nose brat dressed like some emo boy. He didn't think anything of it when Maki held Kana back from entering the private dining room in the hall. He went inside with a roll of his eyes and walk through the oak double doors ahead of them. 

The next room was a smaller dining hall for smaller parties. There was a single table set with dining ware for two and a caterer rolling in a cart with the entrees from a side door. He stood there, considering if he should go ahead and have a seat or wait. What did one do while a date was having a conversation just outside the room with her father? Finally, that question was answered for him. Maki appeared in the doorway and pushed Kana into the room. The Omega stumbled but managed to gain her footing. She rubbed her upper arm with downcast eyes.

"Kana is feeling better now. She will show no further disrespect tonight." Then he fixed a dangerous glare at Kana's back. "Will you, daughter?"

"N-no, Papa."

Deep down, in Jackie's gut, something moved. No, it had nothing to do with his gastric system; it was the instinct to notice that something was off; something was wrong. He ignored that feeling under the weight of anger and discomfort with this arrange marriage and deep disappointment over his bride. He shoved it to the side and focused on getting some satisfaction out of tonight. He held out a hand to Kana, "So shall we try this again?"

He couldn't see her eyes, but he did see her shoulders seize up as if she wanted to hit him. There was a sudden growl behind her, and she thrust her hand into his. Her hand was so thin in his, fragile like delicate twigs covered velvet. A spark, an electrical thrill ran along his wrist and up to his arm, and her scent sharpened, filling his head like fragrant soap. She was a brat, a ragamuffin, a little shit, but damn, she smelled fucking good. 

"There will be no further problems," Maki said firmly. Jackie wasn't sure if he was assuring him or warning her. 

The door closed and no sooner than it clicked close that Kana snatched her hand from his. He refused to let himself feel . . .what? Hurt, rejected? It didn't matter. It was like having a flea refusing to bite him. He was all the better for it.

He wordlessly took a seat, and she stalked around to take the opposite chair. He stared at her, sizing her up. Okay, so this was Kana, his bride-to-be, he could have better; he deserved better. The little shit should understand that she was the lucky one in this arrangement and she's acting like an ingrate. If she didn't smell so good and the families out there wouldn't tear him apart, he'd reach across the table and wring her scrawny neck. 

He took a long breath through his nose, calming himself. Thinking like this wasn't going to do him any good. It was time to suck it up and make the most of it. Kana was an Omega and a girl too, and if anyone knew how to handle women, it was him. 

When a caterer poured him some wine, and before she could take the bottle away, he took it from her hand, "Just leave it." 

He was going to need as much help as alcohol can give him this evening.

"If you need anything, Mr. Estacado, just ring the bell and someone will come." The caterer, a pretty Beta told him. She was smiling at him with desire pooling in her eyes. Jackie's eyes lowered to her name tag at her chest: Lori Tommels. 

"I'll certainly do that, Miss Tommels." He looked back at her, finding respite from the evening by looking into the eyes of a grown woman who desired him. He inhaled deeply, drawing her scent in his lungs, and she noticed the gesture, her cheeks glowing. 

She lingered for a moment near him before she departed. Jackie watched her leave, appreciating the view of her swaying rear. 

Jackie drained his glass while Kana toyed with her food. She was methodically separating food keeping them from touching each other on the plate. He refilled his glass and wished he could have something stronger. He watched her for a moment, his head wracking for something to say because this was a date, a very much unwanted date, but a date nonetheless, and he should be saying something. If Kana were one of the women he usually dated, he would know what to say. He could turn on the charm and have his date in his apartment and out of her clothes within an hour. 

The problem was that Kana was so unlike the women he went after. While they were older, taller, and curvy; Kana was not. In the photo, he had mistaken her for a boy, she had that androgynous appearance, especially wearing boys clothing to a formal dinner and her hair cut so short and having a flat chest. There were no curves on her anywhere. How old was she?

"So . . .um, how old are you? Sixteen?"

"Eighteen," Kana muttered as she drew pictures on the edge of her plate with the tip of her knife dipped in gravy. 

Eighteen? She was eighteen!? She didn't look any older than sixteen! How was she so damn short and scrawny at eighteen? Did she not get enough to eat or she got a hormone problem? 

"So are you still in school?"

Kana lifted her gazed from the dinner plate and shot daggers at him from her eyes. If those daggers were real, they would have pierced his eyeballs and gone straight into his brain. "I was, but Papa withdrew me and said I had to marry you."

That seemed like a sore subject for her. Jackie took another long drink of wine and refilled the glass again. Let's try another approach. "Is this your first time in New York?"

"Can we spare ourselves the dinner conversation?" Kana scowled. "I don't want to be here anymore than you do so let's just shut up. Drink your wine and let me eat before I lose my appetite."

This has never happened before during a date, but at least it got him out of the awkward conversation. "Whatever you want, sweetheart."

He drank until he needed to refilled his glass and then refilled it again. He was getting drunk, but he didn't care. It soothed his anxiety and relaxed him, and allowed him to notice the elephant in the room. Kana was an Omega, and she smelled simply delicious. His mind didn't want the Omega sitting within reach, but his body and instincts certainly did. There was something in her scent, a crisp edge to it like the scent of the early morning air. Maki said she had just presented as an Omega and Irons said she was fresh: new, untouched, and a virgin. These thoughts crawled through his mind, planting seeds that slowly took root and grew. He studied her and saw the femininity hidden under the impertinent attitude. 

Her face was smooth with a delicate jawline. Black tresses of her short hair framed her face matching the darkness of her eyes focused intently on her plate. She had nice hands. The nails were short, likely chewed or bitten, but the fingers were long and delicate, and she held the knife and fork with the precision of a surgeon, no motion was wasted as she cut her steak. 

"Hey, stop looking at me as if I'm a plate of spaghetti and meatballs." 

He snapped out of his deep thoughts and saw the offending Omega glaring at him. Do Kana's eyes do anything other than glare? He had enough of her attitude. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just captivated by your charming personality."

She set her knife and fork across her plate with a clink. "I'm going to disappoint you by telling you that this is all a big mistake."

Jackie snorted. "You can say that again. This marriage thing is a damn joke."

"I'm not talking about the marriage, which I will agree with you is a joke," Kana cast her eyes to the side and then crossed her arms. "I'm not an Omega. It's all some big misunderstanding."

Jackie stared at her, expecting her to crack a smile or burst into a laugh. Her face set in gravestone with eyes staring back at him with defiant ferocity. "Holy shit, you really fucking believe you're not an Omega? Can't you smell yourself?"

"Can you?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Good point, but when you went into estrous, didn't that tell you something?"

"It was just cramps and vaginal discharge, nothing more. Everyone was overreacting." Kana waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not an Omega. I can't be one. My parents are both Alphas, and so is my sister. Even my grandparents from both sides are Alphas. If I'm not an Alpha, then I must be a Beta."

"I don't know much about genes and breeding, but I don't think that matters if you're already presenting as an Omega," Jackie said incredulously. "I've been with Omegas and trust me on this; you are one."

"Then you are going to be very disappointed when I don't go into estrous for the rest of this marriage."

"Honey, I was disappointed since the second you came along." Jackie knew he was supposed to be kind to her, but she was driving him up the wall with her bullshit.

"So was I. How stupid do you have to be not to ask which one of us is me?" She pointed at herself and shot him a nasty smirk. "I mean, c'mon! You see a picture with two girls, and you automatically assume the pretty one is the right one because she's the one you want. Is your brain just soft from all the wishful thinking you do?"

"Ha! That's the goddamn pot calling the kettle black, you little snot nose brat!"

"If I'm a snot nose brat, then you're a chauvinistic pig!"

"Scrawny bitch!"

"Long hair hippie!"

Jackie threw his napkin over his untouched food and surged to his feet. "Okay, I'm done, the date's over. You should be honored to hear this because I can't believe this has happened. You have usurped my cousin's place as Queen Bitch. I hope you're proud!" 

"From the way you're whining, I would think that would be your title." Kana stuck out her tongue.

Jackie turned away from the table and stalked away, not trusting himself to speak or act. He threw open the door and nearly ran into the pretty Beta who had hurried over when she heard the yelling. She jumped away startled, but he caught her by the waist and drew her close, "Hey, sweetheart, I just had the most fucked up conversation in my life. Wanna go somewhere private and help me forget about it?"

The Beta swallowed as she took in Jackie's intoxicating scent. "I know of a closet no one uses at this time of night."

"Lead the way."

He didn't think anything of the Omega still sitting at the dinner table staring at him with their usual glare. Perhaps if he had bothered to look back, he might have noticed Kana's eyes shining with unshed tears, and her hands were clenched tight as she struggled not to cry. 

The closet was small with folded towels, and little wrapped bars of soaps were kept. The door was barely shut before Jackie had the Beta against the interior wall of the closet locking his lips over the pulse in her throat, giving her a gentle, but firm nip; an Alpha's kiss. She moaned, aroused by the signal of dominance and tilted her head upward, giving him access to her throat, submitting to this dominate Alpha. Her nipples tighten as he fondled her breasts with one hand while undoing his belt with the other.

He had been more aroused from the scent of an Omega than he realized. Kana's rebellious attitude distracted him from being further aroused, but now it came roaring to the forefront by the smell and taste of an eager female. Betas smelled nice, but their scent lacked the sweetness he associated with Omegas. His nerves were so wracked; he needed to fuck something now. He turned her around and pulled up the knee-length skirt that was part of her uniform. She mewled in complaint at the rough treatment but did nothing to hamper him from yanking down her panties. Her back arched like a cat when he penetrated her, pushing up inside her tight pussy. She rose up on her toes and clawed at the wall in ecstatic throes of being fucked by such a virile Alpha. 

His hips rocked, his lips and tongue finding her neck and jaw, tasting her scent. He thrust roughly into her several times, working out his anger towards Kana, ignoring the pained whines from the Beta female. How dare Kana smell so good like the Omega and look like the poster child for androgyny and be a little shit on top of it? Why couldn't it be the lovely Hikari in there instead? At least this whole marriage thing could be tolerable. 

He soon came deep inside her without knotting. It had been pleasant, but not as mind-blowing as it would have been with an Omega. He used one of the bath towels to clean himself up and then adjusted his suit while the Beta remained crumpled on the floor basking in the afterglow. She asked him to call her and even wrote down her number on a slip of paper with a pen she carried in her breast pocket. He told her he would and put the paper in his pocket, but it was forgotten as soon as he left the closet. 

He was wracking his brain for an excuse to be seen back in the dining room without his fiance when someone him by the shoulder and yanked into a connecting hallway. He growled and spun with his fist up which an open hand blocked it. His weight and momentum were used against him, and he was slammed against the wall with Cristo, his mentor and long-time hitman for the Franchetti family, snarling into his face. 

"Are you drunk or just stupid?" Cristo growled, pulling him close to his face by the coat lapels. "You waltz in there smelling like sex with the scent of a female who is not your fiance at your engagement party? Are you trying to start a war with the Yakuzas? Maki is eager for this deal to go through, but he won't ignore a slap to the face like that. Go out the back and get in my car. I'll tell Frankie you got drunk and I'm driving you home."

* * * 

The lights of nightlife New York glinted off the surface of Cristo's black Mercedes-Benz as it traveled towards uptown New York. Jackie watched the lights fly back in colorful streaks while Cristo silently drove. 

Cristo had been the one to teach Jackie how to shoot, maintain his guns, and to fight. He had been Franchetti's number one hitman for years until a severe injury prematurely ended his career as a professional. He stayed on as a capo and often timed an adviser to his cousin Frankie Franchetti. Since his injury, Jackie had risen in ranks and became Frankie's favored son and a hitman. Jackie loved Frankie as a father, and if there was a man who came in a close second, it was Cristo. He remembered being taken down into New Jersey's wooded outskirts and taught to shoot cans off a fence when he was ten.

He had nearly sobered up when Cristo revealed the lethal mistake he had nearly made. Nearly.

"I keep telling you," Cristo broke the silence with the lecture Jackie knew was coming, "your dick is going to be what gets you killed. I swear to God, the way you fuck anything with a cunt, it's surprising you don't have enough bastards to start your own Family."

"Then you'll be happy to hear I just found the one cunt I don't wanna fuck," Jackie muttered and was promptly rewarded with a whack on the side of the head.

"You're gonna get smart with me after the dumb stunt you nearly pulled?" Cristo snarled. 

"Stop treating me like I'm a fucking kid! Jesus Christ, I am sick of this shit!"

"We're sick of this shit too. If you're an adult, act like it. You've been moping around like a fucking weepy kid since Frankie told you about the marriage. You're twenty-one, time to get married and settle down." Cristo took a turn too sharply which slung Jackie up against the passenger door, nearly smacking his head on the window.

"I'm getting married to Maki's scrawny runt of a daughter instead of that goddess of a sister she has. You expect me to be happy about that just because she's an Omega?" 

Cristo brought the car to a slow stop at a red light. He was breathing heavily, angry, but slowly calming down. By the time the light turned green, Cristo had begun speaking again, "I know it's not what you wanted, and it's not what I would have wanted for you. If it means anything, I did try to talk Frankie out of it, and if the deal weren't so good, he would have turned it down. Hell, he probably would have if Maki hadn't pulled that shitty trick with the picture."

The elder Alpha took a slow breath, cooling the last embers of anger. His voice was not unkind when he continued, "What I'm saying is, don't get pissed at Frankie. He thought you were going to get a good part of the deal, but when that shit came to light, we were there with our pants down. It was either put out or get out, and Don Frankie Franchetti made the decision, and we have to follow suit."

Jackie found his anger subsiding bit by bit while Cristo spoke. He exhaled a long tired sigh feeling the tension loosening from his shoulders. "I'm not pissed at Frankie. I don't like it, but I know why he did it."

"Is she really that bad?" Cristo asked lightly. "I never heard you talk about a female like that . . .unless it was Appolonia." 

Jackie thought about it for a moment, "No, she's not as bad as Appolonia, but she's a close second."

Cristo was a tall man, nearly matching Jackie's height. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in thought before he said, "Jackie, the reason you feel this way about her is that you're thinking of her as just an Omega. You haven't started to think of her as your Omega. When that happens, your feelings towards her is going to change."

"Is that how it was with your wife?" Jackie asked carefully. It had been five years since Cristo's wife, Megan, was found murdered in a hotel.

Cristo was silent for a long time. They passed several blocks, and just as Jackie believed he was going to be quiet the rest of the way, he started speaking. "I wasn't interested in marriage when my father arranged for me to marry Megan. Her father had racked up a huge gambling debt, and my father thought it would be prestigious for his son to have an Omega for a wife. I was against it like you were and my father and I got into a fight for dominance over it."

Jackie's eyes widen. A fight for dominance occurred when two Alphas vied for the position of leadership, whether it was of a family, business, or gang. It was a fight till either an Alpha was too injured to continue fighting or was killed. It didn't happen too often nowadays, but when it did, it got reported in social media. It was just earlier that morning that an employee challenged his boss for the position of manager of a McDonalds and was sent to a hospital for deep lacerations and hot grease thrown on him. "Jesus, what happened?"

"He broke my collar bone, three ribs, and cracked my skull. I was in the hospital for nearly a month, and the day I got out was the day I married Megan. I pretty much ignored her the first few weeks of our marriage out of spite. I stayed out all day and came home late at night when she was asleep."

"Until she went into estrous, right?" Jackie said, almost churlishly. 

Cristo was quiet for a long moment before answering. "No, it was before that." 

Cristo was no longer starting at the road before. He was looking into a past he had tried so hard to forget. "It didn't happen all at once. It was subtle, and was there before I realized it. I wanted to touch her. Every time she got close, I would touch her hand and sometimes her hair and face. Before her estrous started, she began nesting and was in a frenzy about it. She took every sheet, blanket, and pillow we had and then sent me out to get more." Cristo chuckled, a small laugh that didn't meet his eyes. "I had to make several trips because I kept buying the wrong ones. They were either too soft or not soft enough, or the wrong color or they smelled funny. When she finally got the nest the way she wanted it, we had sex in it just before her estrous kicked off. Jackie, believe me on this, there is nothing in this world like having sex with your Omega in estrous in her nest. We pair-bonded and conceived our daughter Nicoletta that night."

Jackie pretended not to see the tear rolling down Cristo's cheek and bit his lip to keep from saying the words: Then how were you able to bring yourself to kill her?

Years, later, when Nicoletta was nine, Megan betrayed the Family and Cristo by going to the police and testified for protective custody for both her and her daughter. She didn't wish for her family to be raised within the mafia. Frankie spared no expense in finding out which hotel she was hiding in and sent Cristo to kill her. Cristo carried out his orders for the sake of the Family, leaving his daughter motherless. 

Afterward, he tried to kill himself by driving his car off a cliff. He survived, but his leg was mangled. He endured chronic pain and will walk with a limp for the rest of his life. His daughter, Nicoletta was sent to live with relatives in Beverly Hills. He hadn't seen her for the last five years, since her mother's murder. Jackie wasn't sure if they kept in touch.

Jackie didn't voice any of these thoughts. He stayed quiet until Cristo dropped him off at his apartment building and went inside.


	5. Chapter 5

Jackie didn't go to bed right away. First, he drank heavily from his liquor cabinet and then before it became too late, he invited Rebecca, a 'friends with benefits' Beta female to spend the rest of the evening. In the morning, his head was killing him from the hangover, an exhausted female was slung across his body asleep, and he was supposed to get married in less than an hour. With his head throbbing, he left the sleeping female on his bed and changed into the black suit he bought for the occasion. He had no time for a shower, so he shaved and applied cologne liberally at his throat and chest and hoped it kept the scent of the Beta hidden. After slipping on a pair of seven-hundred dollar shades, he left his apartment and the sleeping Rebecca without waking her. She was used to his disappearing after sex and took no offense. 

The shades protected his eyes from the bright morning sun, and he wondered why he was in such a hurry to go to an event he had been dreading for days. It had broken Jenny's heart and gave Appolonia plenty of ammunition to use against him. Why the hell was he going nearly 70 in a 40 mph lane to marry a female he didn't want? Just to appease Frankie and some powerful men who benefited more from this marriage than him? 

He knew the answer to the question before it came. It was the same answer as to why he started working for Uncle Frankie in the first place. It was for the cars, the suits, the women, the money, and the power. If he openly defied Frankie Franchetti, all of that would disappear, and he would be lucky if that were all that happened. If he left the Family, what would he do? Get a minimum wage job? Give up the Italian sports cars? Shop for clothes from discount retail stores? Or worse yet, give up the actresses and models he had bedded by the hundreds?

No, he wasn't ready to give all of that up. And if he had to endure marriage to a little shit, then so be it. 

* * * 

He arrived twenty minutes late. Moe, who had been waiting in the parking lot, rushed over as he parked. "Jesus, Jackie, Frankie is about to pop an eye vessel."

"I woke up late." Jackie clenched his eyes shut as a wave of nausea swept over him from just by getting out of the car. 

"You know where the ceremony is being held?"

"Yeah, just hop back into my car and drive real fast towards the next cliff I come to." 

"What?"

"Yeah, I remember where it is. Let's go." 

Inside the lobby was a small gathering of suits. Jackie recognized most of them as part of the Franchetti Family. They gave him quick congratulations and joshed at him for being late. The silent, more solemn suits were from the Maki Family. They watched him with distant and neutral eyes. They tolerated his presence for a single purpose. It seemed to him that they wanted this ceremony over as soon as possible. He noticed Uncle Frankie near the front chomping on a cigar with his face nearly red and quickly made his appearance known by clearing his throat.

"Jackie, you sonuvbitch, where ya been? Maki's in there thinkin' ya called the whole fuckin' thing off." His eyes blazed violently, and his voice had taken on a dangerous tone that he had used to order Jackie to off some unlucky bastard. 

"Traffic. Some road work or something. Why are we paying taxes again?" He said wittingly, pushing his sunglasses up his face. The interior lights hurt his eyes, and it took several moments for them to adjust. "So where do I go to get this thing started?"

"Upfront where the judge is, ya dolt." 

The judge was an alderman in the Franchetti's pocket as testified by the bright gold watch that should be beyond any judge's salary. Nearby, sitting at a small table was the Makis. Kousetsu and his wife Eclipse were speaking in hush whispers while Hikari, (the beautiful, lovely, and unattainable, Hikari) was murmuring with his bride who was wearing a completely different attire from last night. She was wearing a simple white dress. Her brushed hair was styled away from her face with a golden barrette holding it in place. There was even light makeup applied to her face bringing out the feminine contours of her lips and cheeks. She looked a lot more like an actual girl but looked extremely uncomfortable. And she actually looked pretty. 

When the judge noticed Jackie, he set his drink on a nearby table and collected the paperwork. The talking came to a quick hush, and all eyes turned to Jackie and the judge. The Makis rose to their feet save for one. Kana remained sitting with her shoulders hunched, and her face screwed up in anger. A rough bark from her father had her on her feet and walking stiff-legged to Jackie's side.

Jackie stood with one hand, clasping the wrist of the other, and tried to fight off the fatigue from his hangover. The judge was smart enough to know both families wanted this ceremony hurried and went right into the prepared short speech. Jackie barely heard a word of it. All he could concentrate on was the pounding in his head and if he could find some Alger-Setzer somewhere in the hotel. From the corner of his eye, he could see Appolonia watching the whole thing with glee as if she was watching gladiators battle to the death. She noticed his glance and smirked at him.

Bitch. He thought bitterly.

"Jackie, do you take Kana to be your lawful wife?"

He was jolted out of deep thought. He blinked several times and muttered, "Yeah, it's why I'm here, ain't I?"

Soft chuckles and snickers fluttered through the attending Families, on the Franchetti side. 

The judge blinked his small piggish eyes, likely wondering if Jackie's words should be considered consent or a joke. Then he turned to Kana, "Kana, do you take Jackie as your lawful husband?"

The girl's hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides, and her head bowed. Her lips were tightly sealed together in a thin line as if by sheer force of will, she would not give any consent. The silence was long enough to draw quiet inquiries from the attending guests, and Jackie wondered if there was going to be a scene at this sham of a marriage. Maki stepped forward and clamped a hand on her shoulder. To anyone looking, it would appear to be a father giving strength and comfort to a shy daughter; however, Jackie who was close by could see the strain in Maki's wrist and how white his knuckles were as he dug his fingers into Kana's shoulder with such force that made him flinch. Kana clenched her eyes shut in and battled against the pain, but a young Omega's weak endurance and strength were far outstripped by an adult Alpha's.

"Yes." It was a small and tearful answer.

Maki released his daughter's shoulder from his tight grip and stepped back satisfied.

The judge cleared his throat, "Now it's time to sign the license."

He turned to a small round table where an official paper lay with a fountain pen beside it. The judge took the pen and signed the document and held the pen out to Jackie. He took it and looked down at the piece of paper that would mark his first step into a marriage he didn't want. Sighing, he leaned down and signed his name along the first spouse line. Jackie Estacado.

Then he held the pen out to Kana. The girl lifted her eyes to him, and he saw the hatred in them. She took the pen from his hand and scratched her name on the paper and threw it back on the table. Once the two witnesses, Frankie Franchetti and Kousetsu Maki signed the document, it was done. They were now Jackie and Kana Estacado, man and wife, a mated pair.

A limo was waiting to take them to the airport, but first, there were the congratulatory drinks to be had. Jackie drank deeply; it would likely make his headache worse later, but he needed it to dull his senses to the shit that was happening to him. Kana remained sitting with her family, her mother giving her firm instruction while Hikari toyed with her smartphone. Jackie glanced at her, wishing more than anything that she was the one he had just married. 

Moe slung an arm across Jackie's shoulders and with slurring speech he muttered, "So ya gonna bond her dogging style or face to face?"

"Jesus, Moe, that's not something I wanna think about." 

"Trust me," A gold tooth Alpha, Larry, said conspiratorially. "That Omega's so fresh, she might not know what to do so that ya might need t' grease 'er up."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be sure to get some Vaseline for the wedding night," Jackie smirked.

"Careful, ya prolly spit her on your dick like a pig." Moe leered, "Though ya prolly want her to squeal like one tonight."

"Why doncha take her upstairs and scent mark her?" Cristo suggested quietly. "So you don't get hassled at the airport."

Jackie rolled his eyes. Scent marking was how an Alpha lays claim to an Omega before creating the pair-bond. It was usually done through cuddling, kisses, and even licking the face and neck of the Omega. He glanced at Kana and saw her face was red with silent fury. "I'll do it in the limo."

Cristo leaned in and said in a low whisper, "She seems to be a bit stubborn and feisty. I advise you is to pair-bond her tonight. She'll become more complacent by morning if you do that."

Jackie nodded, not looking forward to it, but knowing it was something that needed to be done. 

* * * 

In an available room, he changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a polo shirt. Not what he would have chosen, but then he was the one who partied all night and didn't pack what he was going to wear on the plane. Right now, he was trying to get over his hangover in the limo while they waited for Kana to change. Jackie drank from a water bottle and nursed his headache. On his lap was a wrapped gift Moe had tucked into his hand shortly after the ceremony had finished.

He stuck it into his carry on bag, decided that right now he needed to focus on getting through the car ride without killing his new wife. What was taking so long? It's been forty minutes. Kana didn't strike him as the type of girl who takes forever to change. Finally, the door opened, and Kana threw her bag inside and flopped onto her seat and slammed the door shut. 

"Took ya long enough," he complained.

"Shut up," she huffed. She was wearing denim shorts and a blue short sleeve shirt buttoned at the front. 

There she was, the blushing bride, leaning against the window as far away from him as possible. So he was married now. He thought he would feel different, but he didn't. Jackie assumed that later, much later, he would get married, but to a gorgeous model or actress, not to the string bean with the attitude of a wood chipper. 

He toyed with the ring on his finger, a gold wedding band which matched the one Kana had. After the ceremony ended, Frankie presented the rings as part of his marriage gift to them. Jackie had accepted his ring with a plastered smile, and Kana took hers with her usual pouting silence. His was a solid gold band free of any engravings or decorations, and Kana's was a princess cut with small diamonds along the ring. 

The driver of the limo had taken many newlyweds from that hotel to the airport. Usually, they were in the backseat giggling, laughing together, speaking in hush whispers about their future together, or even making out. One couple also had sexual intercourse in the back. But this couple was different. The tall man with long dark hair stayed on his side of the limo, and the small skinny girl with short hair rested on hers. Neither of them spoke or touched each other as if they were doing everything they could to pretend the other wasn't there. The backseat had never been chillier.

Jackie stared out the driver's window with a lack of anything better to stare at. They were getting closer and closer to the airport. Better to get it over with. 

He reached over to Kana, who drew away from him. "What are you doing?"

"Look, we're about to go into a crowded airport. If you don't want a hundred Alphas sniffing after you, then I need to mark you." He reached out to take her arm, and Kana snatched it out of his grasp. "C'mon, it'll only take a minute."

"No!" Her hand crept to the door handle, and Jackie believed she would spill herself out of a speeding car before she let him touch her. 

He growled at her, a low deep rumble in his throat. "Fine, go ahead and attract a trail of Alphas. See if I pull them off you if they do a train on your ass."

She said nothing, just scowling at him as if were some disgusting thing on the bottom of her shoe. She huddled against the door with her arms crossed over her chest and stared out the window as if desperate to deny his presence. 

When they arrived at the airport, Jackie kept a close eye on Kana. As they turned in their bags, he noticed several Alphas scenting the air and zeroing in on Kana. More than once, Jackie had to bare his teeth to warn Alphas away, and there was one that nearly came close to challenging him if a security officer hadn't been walking by at the moment. He tied to stay close to her, but whenever she noticed his closeness, she took several long steps away from him putting space between them. He put a hand on the edge of her bag to keep them from being separated in the crowds. 

He imagined the fallout if he let his wife of one hour get kidnapped or raped or worst, pair-bonded to another Alpha. Dammit, he should have marked her in the limo. He looked around and saw a restroom. It was a men's restroom, but Kana looked enough like a boy that it wouldn't matter if she went in with him. He took her by the arm and pulled her along behind towards the restroom.

"Let go!" She yelped, her shoes slipping on the smooth tile floor. A couple of people watched curiously on their way, but none stop.

"Shut up. I need to mark you, or we're going to be on a cramped plane with a dozen Alphas for three hours. One of them is going to challenge me for you, and it won't be pretty. So just c'mon and let's get this over with."

"You're going to take me into the men's restroom?" She stared at the blue sign with the generic man in white. 

"Yeah. They'll think you're a boy . . ."

"You're going to take a boy into the men's room to snuggle?" She sneered at him. 

He faltered, realizing the implication and glared at her, "If you had let me do this in the limo . . . just c'mon!"

He pulled her along despite her protests and struggles. People stared, but they either didn't want to get involved or didn't care enough to stop their busy lives to help. The bathroom had only a few occupants, a couple of men shaving at the sinks, some stalls occupied, and another man fitting contact lenses into his eyes. A couple of them curiously glanced as Jackie towed Kana into the restroom. He took her to the nearest stall and shoved herself. She stumbled, nearly landing on the toilet, but she gained her footing and hissed at him as he shut the door behind him.

"Stop!" She yelled.

"You stop! Stop fighting this. Just . . . just shut up." He took a breath, noticing that the stall was pretty crowded with the two of them in here and their flight wouldn't be delayed forever. "One hug. That's all it takes."

"No," she shrank back, nearly pressing her back to the toilet pipe. 

Losing his patience, he reached forward and grabbed her by the shoulder and yank her to his chest. Wrapping his arms around Kana, he nuzzled her neck while ignoring her growls. Through the anger and irritation, her scent penetrated his mind. God, she smelled so good. He had smelled many Omegas before and found them all mouthwatering, but there was something about Kana's scent that was intoxicating. She felt warm and so alive and fragile, like holding a small bird with a pulsing heart. He held her close, feeling her heart pounding through his chest. She felt right being there in his arms. Not because he enjoyed holding her, but because he believed she was better off being held by him. 

He touched his lips to her neck, and she shrieked. It made his earring, and he raised his head, "What's wrong?"

She spat in his face. 

* * * 

No, he didn't hit her. He reared back a hand to do so but stopped himself before delivering the blow. Instead, he shoved her away, snatched a tissue from the dispenser and wiped the spittle from his face. He glared at her all the while, and she bared her small white teeth at him. 

It was done, though, his scent was on her, and that should be enough to ward off any unwanted attention save, but the most determined of Alphas, but that would be something he would worry about when it happened. He fixed her with a dark glare, "I hope you have a better attitude tonight for the honeymoon."

He took satisfaction in seeing her face blanch. Twenty minutes saw them at the terminal, waiting to board. He sat slowly in a seat and groaned. The hair of the dog had worn off, and his hangover was coming back into full effect. Maybe he can sleep it off on the flight. From the corner of his eye, he spied Kana taking out an old fashion watch, the type which was round with a flip-cover. 

"Why are you carrying an old clunker like that?" Jackie commented. He was surprised at how he wanted to speak to her despite what happened in the bathroom. 

Kana, not missing a beat nor looking away from her watch, said, "Wow, you said that as if your opinion means anything."

He didn't respond because he figured if he did, they would have their first row as a married couple not two hours after their marriage ceremony in a busy airport. The only thing Kana had going for her was her Omega scent which he found intoxicating in the restroom. Now they were in a public airport where the smell of a hundred people lingered in the air. The strong smell of Alphas, the neutral scent of Betas, and the aroma of Omegas hung around him, and despite all these scents, the one that stood out for him was the Omega sitting behind him toying with a pocket watch. He couldn't tell whether it was because she was so close and he was accustomed to it or if there were something special about it. It was the usual fragrance of an Omega, but there was something more like a spice that caused a pleasant tingle in his nose.

He watched people coming and going, his eyes followed the attractive women, many of whom would glance in his direction. One even walked towards him but halted when she noticed the ring on his finger and the scent of the Omega sitting right beside him. Jackie decided that the wedding band and his new wife was going to be a cock block from now on. It was official. His life was ruined.

"Hey, don't get any ideas about doing that 'thing' later," Kana muttered under her breath.

"What thing?" He replied, turning his gaze at her.

"You know, the 'thing.'" Kana looked up at him with meaning in her eyes which he still didn't get.

"I have no idea what 'thing' you're talking about!" He was beginning to lose his patience.

"The. Honeymoon. Thing." She grounded out through her teeth.

It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about. "Sex? You mean sex?"

"Yes, 'that'!" She glanced around speaking in a hushed tone as if fearful others had heard him. "That's not happening."

"Do you think I want 'that'. . . I mean - I want to have sex with you!? I don't, but we have to." 

"Not gonna happen!" She hissed at him. 

"Oh, you're still having this fantasy of not being an Omega. Trust me, sister, you're an Omega. I know it, and the guy across from us knows it too." Jackie motioned with a slight movement of his head.

Kana looked up and noticed for the first time an overweight Alpha reading a paper with a red face. At first, she didn't see what Jackie meant until she saw the swelling bulge between his thick thighs. The paper lowered a few inches, and his beady rheumy eyes lifted to her, and his wide nostrils flared with a snort. 

She shuddered in disgust, "I am not getting on the plane with that!"

"Which one? Him or his dick?" 

"Shut up!" she snapped.

They went back to silence between them. Neither of them spoke until the plane arrived for the rest of the trip. 

It wasn't until they got to the beach house that he noticed she had a fresh black eye.

* * * 

"Why does your uncle have a pool in the back when the ocean is right there?" Kana asked as the cab pulled up.

"He doesn't like the beach," Jackie explained as he paid the driver.

Kana got out looking confused, "Then why does he have a beach house?" 

"Because he wanted to fit in with the cool Dons," Jackie replied dryly. 

It was early afternoon when they arrived. The Florida sun was burning hot on their heads as they carried their bags inside. Jackie had his shades down over his eyes blocking out the light to keep the headache away. He was feeling better now; time and a brief nap on the plane did wonders. 

Once inside, Kana dropped her bags on the floor and stretched her arms above her head. "God, I'm so tired."

"Do you want me to order something for dinner or go out tonight?" Jackie followed her example and dropped his things on the floor and set back on a large couch. 

"I guess you could order something tonight. I don't feel like going anywhere else. We could go grocery shopping in the morning for things like bread, milk, sandwich meat, and cereal."

"Yeah, we can do that tomorrow," Jackie agreed. 

Did they just have a pleasant exchange without insulting each other? Maybe there was more to her than the snarky attitude. Or perhaps she was tired as he was. 

Kana grabbed one of her bags and slung it over her shoulder, "I'm going up."

As she headed for the stairs, she paused at the foot of them and looked at him over her shoulder, "I'm taking a guest bedroom, you can have the master bedroom."

It was a quiet challenge or maybe a test to see if he would protest having separate bedrooms. He looked back at her and swung his legs onto the couch and stretched out. He supposed giving into her little fantasy, for now, wouldn't hurt. "Whatever you want to do is fine by me."

"Good." She trotted up the stairs with her bag bouncing against her hip.

Jackie remembered the gift from Moe still in his bag. He reached over and tugged the bag close by the strap and drew the wrapped parcel from the side pocket. It felt like a book. He peeled back the paper and saw that his assumption was correct; it was a book. And worse, it was a self-help book. On the front was a man and woman standing close together with the man's arms around her. They were a good looking couple and seemed happy by their broad smiles. The title in bright red letters in curvy font read, Understanding and Loving your Omega.

"What the fuck, Moe?" Jackie muttered. He flipped through the book. Nope, no nude pics or anything that made this book worth reading. The last time Jackie had read a book, it had lots of pictures and descriptive imagery of sex. Jackie got up and went into the kitchen where he dropped the book into the trash bin then he went outside.

The Florida sun greeted him like a knife to the eyes, but the ocean air was worth it. He breathed it in, and it canceled out Kana's scent from his nostrils. Her scent assailed his senses on the plane, and he concentrated on the smell of sweat from the Beta male suffering from the fear of heights. Gradually, his eyes became accustomed to the sunlight, and he was able to enjoy the view across the ocean. 

It's been five years since he was last here. Frankie decided to spend Christmas in Florida, so he, Jackie, Frankie's mistress at the time, and Appolonia came down to Florida along with several bodyguards. He spent the week hooking up with bikini-clad girls, replacing Appolonia's sunscreen with regular lotion, and getting into nightclubs and bars with a fake license. He slipped off his shoes and walked over the cobbled patio and around the edge of the pool. Cleaners came through the house beforehand and got the place ready for their arrival. The pool was clean and bright with ripples of sunlight on the bottom. 

What was he going to do now? They were married now, and the girl inside was his wife and mate. Her scent was intoxicating now; he could only imagine how it would be when she hit estrous. Imagining it caused a stirring in his pants which he tried to ignore. It seemed his body was interested in the girl, but he certainly wasn't. 

What was he going to do with her? There was no worry about becoming aroused; her attitude and appearance saw to that. But when she hit estrous . . .it would be a totally different matter.

He had heard of Omegas being raped if they happened to step out into public while on estrous or weren't held somewhere protected. It was the reason why most Omegas are paired off with an Alpha shortly after they present to make them 'unavailable' to other Alphas for their safety. Just last year, the media lit up with the news of a young woman who was raped to death by a gang after she ventured outside of her home, and her estrous started. If she had been pair-bonded to an Alpha, her scent would have changed chemically, letting other Alphas know this Omega had been claimed. However, there were Omegas who fiercely believed in their independence and would lock themselves away during estrous or take heat suppressants to shorten or delay their heat cycles. 

He can control himself while smelling an Omega in estrous, but to an extent, because he was able to enjoy the Omega shortly after. Eventually, he wouldn't be able to control himself around Kana and go into rut. They were going to have to work something out before then, or it was going to get really ugly in the coming weeks. And then it came to the pair-bond. Just like dealing with estrous, it was something they would have to deal with eventually. It was something that would link them together closer than any marriage. Their scents and emotions would change literally overnight. Alphas would become more devoted to their mates, and Omegas would cling to their Alphas, willing to become impregnated and give birth. 

As much as he dreaded it, the pair-bond was something that was going to happen. If he didn't do it, Kana might share the same fate as the gang-raped woman. And the Franchetti and Maki Families expected them to pair-bond by her next estrous. God, he never wanted to devote himself to one woman . . .save for Jenny. It was past noon; the sun was making its descent in the west. He should take Cristo's advice and get it over with. 

He must have spent more time outside than he thought as he saw Kana sitting cross-legged on the couch in a fresh change of clothes. She was wearing blue shorts and a white shirt, channel surfing with a bored expression. Jackie was about to ask if there was anything good on when he noticed the black eye. 

"What happened?"

"What?" She turned her face to him, and he got a better view of her shiner.

She didn't have that this morning during the ceremony. And Jackie had been with her during their trip while she wore the dark shades. What had happened while he was waiting in the limo for her? "Did that happened at the hotel?" He pointed towards his eye and at her.

She realized what he was referring to, and stiffly turned her face back to the tv. "It's nothing."

"Is that why it took you so long?" 

"I fell. It's no big deal." Her eyes furrowed as she clicked the remote.

"More like you fell on someone's fist." Jackie had been the giver and receiver of black eyes ever since childhood, and he knew a result of a punch when he saw one. "Who . . ." He already knew the answer. Kousetsu Maki. Jackie remembered the terrifying growl he gave his daughter last night and the way he brutally squeezed her shoulder during the ceremony. "Your Dad hit you after the marriage ceremony. Why?"

"It's got nothing to do with you," Kana replied.

Jackie bent down by the couch and reached towards her face, "Let me see it."

He had an urge, almost overwhelming, to draw her close and lick the bruised skin around her eye. It died the moment she bit him. She grabbed his wrist before he could touch her, and savagely sunk her teeth into the meat between the thumb and wrist. He roared and wrenched his hand away from her mouth. "You little shit!"

"Leave me alone!" She shrieked at him as she took off from the couch and bounded for the stairs. "Stay away from me and leave me alone!"

"No problem there, bitch!" he hollered after her. "Jesus Christ!"

He went to the kitchen and ran water of the bite, which was seeping blood and dotted the floor as he went. He hissed as the cold water both soothed and pained his cut skin. He was half tempted to go up and blacken the other eye. Maybe have a contest with Maki over who gives the best black eye to that little wretch. He examined the bite as the water rinsed away the blood. It was deep, but he likely wouldn't need stitches. He found a first aid kit in a kitchen cabinet and went through the pains of cleaning and bandaging the wound all the while cursing Kana under his breath. Once his hand was dressed, he sat on the couch and tried to ignore his throbbing hand and watch tv.

The hours past and he let his senses dull from senseless shows, and his anger eroded from the cheeriness of the sitcoms and flashy ads. Then his mind began to wonder what he needed to do next. It was technically his honeymoon with his new bride, and he should really be upstairs sharing a bed with her or something of that nature. However, first she spat at him for hugging her, and then she bites him for showing concern. If this was a sign of what was to come in this marriage, he might as well bail out now before he ended up killing her – in self-defense. And chances were, if he went upstairs, she'd try to claw his eyes out. And then there was the utter denial of her being an Omega. This whole thing was a joke or better yet, a freaking nightmare. 

His phone pulsed and vibrated in his pocket. After wriggling it out, he said Frankie's name on the caller ID. Jackie sighed and pressed the accept icon. "Uncle Frankie, how's it going?"

"Did you pair-bond that little whelp yet?" Frankie rasped over the phone.

"Not yet, we just got here." Jackie kept his voice neutral, not wanting to betray the anger he was feeling at the moment. 

"Well, ya better seal the deal tonight, pup. I had it up to here with all the fuckery from the Makis and the sooner you pair-bond her little ass, the better."

"I'll head right up and do it now, sir." Jackie tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling where Kana was likely upstairs in her claimed room.

"Thatta boy. Take your time and enjoy the experience."

Jackie paused before asking, "Uncle Frankie if you need me to come back early . . ."

"Nah, we got everything under control here. If I need ya, I got your cell number." Uncle Frankie chuckle over the phone. "Now go be an Alpha."

With that order given, he hung up. Jackie laid the phone on the coffee table and groaned. Yep, he's going to need a couple of beers to get him ready for what was next. Jackie doubtless shouldn't expect any oral; he didn't want the little shit biting it off too. He went into the kitchen and much to his disappointment it had been stocked with only bottled water and tv dinners. Oh, well, he's going to have to do this sober then. 

He went upstairs, trying to get himself in the mood. He kept thinking about the models and actresses he bedded, the pretty Beta he scored with last night, and then about Rebecca, and it was doing the trick. His cock was beginning to come alive, and it really stood to attention as he went to the bedroom door. Her scent was buzzing his brain like a drug. She left the door open, a likely invitation, Jackie never thinking that maybe she left it open to circulate the cool air.

She was laying on the bed with her smartphone between her hands. She looked up and scowled at his entrance. "What do you want?"

"What do you think I want?" He snapped, harsher than he intended. He started over, keeping his voice calm and collected, "Let's. . .you know, just get it over with, okay? It'll be good, I promise, and I'll go slow and gentle . . ."

"No!" She snapped, sitting up on her knees with her hands clenched. "Go away!"

"Listen, sweetie. There's no need to be scared . . ." Then he noticed the other bruises. She had changed into a sleeveless pajama top which revealed her shoulder and arm. On her upper arm was a ringing bruise as if someone had wrung her by the arm. His mind flashed back to last night when she was pushed into the dining room, rubbing her arm from where her father had thrust her against the wall and growled dire warning at her. On the shoulder were dark dots from when Maki dug his fingers into her during their vows. 

This girl was no stranger to being bruised or hurt. And she still held up her hands in tight fists willing to give back as much as she got. "Get out!"

Jackie held up his hands, "Honey, I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. I only want to get the pair-bond over with. We'll both be better for it . . ."

"Go away! I'm not doing it!"

"C'mon, we're married now. This is what married couples do."

Sparks flew from her eyes. "Yeah, you want me to squeal like a pig. And where's your jar of Vaseline?"

Jackie blinked, "You heard that?"

"Who didn't hear that? You and your goons were laughing it up all over the hall! My parents heard you making fun of me not even ten minutes after we were married!" Kana snarled. 

Shit, he knew this was going to be tough, but didn't anticipate it was going to be this tough. "I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings . . ."

"I'm not hurt! I have to care to be hurt!" Kana spat. "I didn't expect any less from you, asshole."

"Hey, I'm not taking that kind of lip from my wife."

"I'm not your wife! I didn't want to marry you. My Dad forced me to come to the States and go through with that ceremony. He told me if I didn't go through with it, he'd put me in one of his whore houses in Thailand!" 

"Shit," Jackie hissed under his breath. He hadn't been prepared for this. Not at all. Why couldn't she have stayed a little brat he could hate? He didn't want to feel this for her . . .he hated what he was feeling right now. He hated seeing those bruises on her skin, he hated that Maki was such a bastard, and Jackie hated that she smelled so good that he wanted to hold her hand, to lick her bruises, and make her feel . . .make her feel . . .not hurt, not afraid. 

He didn't do anything. He turned away and left the room. 

Jackie and Kana spent their first night of marriage in separate bedrooms.


	6. Chapter 6

Jackie spent his wedding night sleeping alone while his new wife slept in a separate room. The pain in his hand, and his anger kept him from being bothered with it. When he woke that following morning, his hand was swollen and painful but wasn't infected. He went downstairs and soaked it in a bowl of warm water and Epsom salt. He was watching tv with his hand soaking at his side on the table stand when the back glass door slid open, and Kana came in dripping wet with a towel wringing her hair. She was wearing a dark blue one-piece swimsuit, and at her shoulder was a second bruise in full bloom. The dark blotches spread over her arm and clavicle and close to her neck. 

It was from when Maki nearly crushed her shoulder to force her to consent to a marriage she didn't want. It looked painful. As with her black eye, he felt . . .troubled by the bruise and again, he felt an urge, a desire, to go to her and hold her. He knew it was a chemical reaction in his body as a response to her scent, but it was as solid as stone in his feelings. He wanted to lick the bruise to ease her pain and purr to give her comfort. Jackie bit the inside of his mouth hard enough to draw blood and squeeze the hand she had bitten, letting the pain erode his chemical desires. 

“What are you doing up so early?” he said, not bothering to keep the annoyance of her presence from his voice.

She looked over her self and the towel in her hands and said, “I don't know. Judging by my wet swimsuit and I just came from where there was a pool and a beach . . . so . . .hmm, lemme think . . .I think I was swimming.”

“Little smart ass,” he growled.

“Hey, ask a question, get an answer, moron.” She walked towards the stairs leaving wet footprints behind her. “Are you going to get something to eat? I'm hungry.”

“I don't know. I don't think I can drive with my hand like this.” He raised his hand from the water showing her the bite. 

“Then order something,” she rolled her eyes.

“In case you haven't noticed, it's 8:30. Most restaurants don't open until ten o'clock.”

“I could drive,” she paused at the stairs, the towel hanging over her shoulders.

“Got a license?” he challenged. 

She lowered her eyes, “I was going to get one.”

She could starve until 10 o'clock for all he cared. And he was going to tell her so until her scent reached his nose. He smelled the salty water on her skin and hair, and underneath that was her. His crotch began to stir, and he quickly thought of the rolls around Uncle Frankie's neck until it went away. Yet, the scent was still there, tantalizing his senses. His eyes trace over her long bare legs and how the suit hugged her very trim figure. She was still scrawny with no curvy handholds, but her scent was changing her visage as he stared at her. “We need to talk.”

“About what?” She draped the towel over her shoulders.

“What happened last night.”

“Nothing happened last night,” she sniffed.

“Exactly.” Jackie leaned forward with his hands hanging loosely between his knees. “Look, you know what sex is, right?”

Kana scowled, “Yes, I do know. I'm eighteen, not a kid.”

“Okay, and you do know that married couples have sex, right?”

Kana scowled, “It's not happening.”

“Why? Why are you scared . . .?”

“I'm not!” She growled defiantly. “I just don't want to!”

“Why?” He demanded.

“I don't know! I just don't!”

“Well, we're going to have to eventually. So why don't we just go upstairs and . . .”

“I rather die than let you touch me,” Kana said coldly.

The words hung in the air over him like a chilly cloud. They stung him more than he would have liked, and he realized his teeth were clenched so hard his jaw trembled. 

“Fine, go upstairs and starve to death then. I'm going out for a bite.” He rose to his feet, went upstairs and changed clothes, wrapped his hand in a fresh bandage, and left. 

* * * 

Weren't Omegas supposed to eager little nymphos? Jackie wondered as he coasted down the highway towards the edges of the city. He remembered there being a burger joint close by. He wasn't really a burger guy, but right now, he wasn't feeling too picky. Hell, he was willing to stuff himself while the bitch back at the house starved. Yet, the further he drove, the more he was not liking what he was doing. No, he shouldn't have left her there alone. He needed to go back there and hash it out with her. That was his wife and mate now. And he still needed to pair-bond her to him before he went back to New York.

Jackie would have turned around. He really would have. But something on the side of the road caught his eye. It was blonde, wearing a tight-fitting mini-skirt, and waving him at him from beside a broken-down red convertible. 

* * * 

Her name was Tammy Reed, and she was on vacation from Georgia. She was supposed to meet her husband, but instead, she booked a motel by the beach with Jackie Estacado and spent the day in bed with him instead. She called her boyfriend to let him know she would be a day late due to her car being in the shop while she drank in Jackie's naked body. He fell asleep in her arms, and when he woke up, it was way past noon, nearing evening. 

Jackie didn't want to think about Kana, not with Tammy's firm breasts pressing into his back. God, he hadn't been married to her for 24 hours, and already he was cheating on her. Wasn't he just scum of the earth? Ever since he could remember, he never really had a conscious. Oh, there was a little inside his head that told him he should feel guilty about some of the many murders, violence, sex, and other things he had done, but he would always mentally reply that he didn't feel bad at all. It was just the way the world worked. Life's a bitch, and then you die, so you better make the most out of life before the big dirt nap. However, his long-suffering conscious was managing to push through. 

Was she able to get anything to eat? Was she alright by herself? His thoughts went to her bruises, and he had that urge to hold her, and lick her injuries until she . . . what? Let him fuck her? Get that stick out of her ass? And he didn't bother to get her cellphone number, so he called to check on her. Shit. He knew he wouldn't be able to let it go unless he did something.

He got up and quietly dressed without waking Tammy. And then without leaving her a note, he left the motel. It wasn't the first time he had left a woman alone in a hotel room without a word or note. Most of the women knew what to expect from him after he bedded them. Most of them. Hell, he may have been cheating on his wife, but she was cheating on her boyfriend, so it evens out in the end. 

He went by the burger joint and picked up a combo meal for Kana and then hurried to the beach house. From the outside, it seemed to be in one piece, even quiet. He went inside with the meal bag in hand and heard the tv's prattle from the living room. Kana was sprawled across the couch, fast asleep. On the coffee table was a box of half-eaten pizza and two-liter coke. It seemed that pizza delivery was able to provide a meal for her. Somehow, it annoyed him to see the pizza sitting there while he held a bag of food that he brought for her.

He was getting irritated by all the conflicting emotions he was feeling and didn't want. Now he was able to smell her scent and not just remember it; he wanted to touch her. He wanted to fold his body around hers, to nuzzle and lick her bruises and purr for her. It was out of sheer will that kept him from purring now and resist the temptation to pick her up and take her upstairs to bed. 

She was stirring away, a thin hand rubbed her face, and she moaned, then grunted when she prodded her black eye. She sat up and focused on Jackie, staring at him as if she didn't recognize him, and then memory slowly surfaced from sleep. “What are you doing back here?”

“What do you think?” Jackie snorted.

She sniffed the air, “Is there a female around here? I smell another female.” It didn't take her long to realize the source of the scent. Her nose twitched until she laid her eyes on him and stared for a long time. Then she swung her legs over the edge of the couch.

Jackie couldn't keep quiet, “I had to get it from somewhere.”

“Yeah, so what?”

His dark eyebrows arched, “Excuse me?”

“I don't care, Estacado. As long as you leave me alone, I don't care if you sleep around.” 

Jackie blinked. Then he absorbed her words and just felt . . .so many things he couldn't name them all. Here it was, something all husbands in unhappy marriages wanted to hear, a free pass to sleep around, to have as many affairs with as many women as he wanted. Why does it feel like a punch to the gut? 

“Whether you like or not, we're stuck together,” Jackie said through gritted teeth. “This isn't something we wanted, but it's what our families wanted, and I'm not going back to New York with an Omega mate who is not pair-bonded to me.”

She turned her face back at the tv and glared at it. “I'm not an Omega . . .”

“Then come upstairs and prove it.”

“Leave me alone.”

The temptation to grab her and drag her upstairs and fuck her was heavy. He had gone a lot of terrible, sinful things in his life. He had murdered men and women. He had sold drugs to desperate souls, extorted money, and beaten those who couldn't pay back loans. Women. He had hurt plenty of women. He had killed them, beaten them, seduced them, lied to them, and bed them. Once, a woman who owed a debt, she couldn't pay, covered it by sleeping with him. But . . .there was something about forcing Kana that was crossing a red line he never knew he had. He had never outright raped a woman, never forced her, never held a woman down and taken her. And he was doing that to Kana . . . he couldn't do that. 

So it was a brick wall he was hitting repeatedly. And it was bothering him, Kana was bothering him. She . . . she wasn't acting right. She was an actor who was defiantly going against the script during a performance. Her refusal of sex completely boggled his mind. Sex was . . .everything! It was the reason he worked for Frankie to get the cars, the suits, and the money to attract the women. Marriage was sex, but you were “expected” to have sex with only one woman. This little squirt should consider herself lucky to have the opportunity to have him as a mate. Yet, here she was spitting in his face and biting him and insulting him. 

He raked his hand through his hair and winced as he had used his bandaged hand to do it. He told Tammy he had cut his hand while handling broken glass from a smashed window. Ha, he imagined the look on her face if he told her his newly wedded Omega had bitten him. He hadn't felt so helpless about anything sense the orphanage . . .

A light bulb went on in his head.

“Hey, Kana, wanna see my scars?”

This must have taken her by surprised as she whipped her head around to stare at him. “What?”

“My scars. Wanna see 'em?”

She eyed him suspiciously. “Are they the sort of scars you have to take off your clothes to show me?”

“No, just look.” He sat down next to her, startling her, and bowed his head to his knees. Flipping his hair forward, he searched for it until he found a line long the edge of his skull. “Right here, see?”

Kana leaned over and looked cautiously just in case this was a trick. “Yeah? What happened? Got in a fight?”

“A priest that worked in the orphanage I grew up in pushed me down the stairs.” He turned his head, peering at her through his black hair. “Almost cracked open my skull. Took ten stitches. And right here - ” he took her hand and guided to a line at the behind his hear where his earlobe connected at the edge of his jaw. “And right here is where a nun pulled my ear so hard she ripped it.”

Kana rubbed the spot, “Wow, that must have hurt.”

“Like a bitch.” He swallowed. Her touch was magic. Electrical thrills spread from the back of the head and neck. He wanted her to touch him more. “Look at the edge of my shoulder, right here.” He pointed at a shallow line following the curve of his shoulder. “A Father Matthews hit me with a switch until he shredded my back.” 

“Why?” She was touching the scar, tracing it with a finger tip.

“I kicked him in the nuts for trying to hurt another kid.” He thought of that day and Jenny. She had just been a little girl then and he wouldn't let her leave the class to use the bathroom during a lengthy sermon. Poor Jenny couldn’t hold her small bladder long and had peed her panties. The man called her a disgusting creature and was going to take a switch to her. Instead, Jackie intervened on her behalf. 

He sat up and took a chance to touch Kana’s shoulder. She stiffened, but didn't draw back and watched him like a scared fox. He drew his thumb gingerly over the bruise at her shoulder. “I know what it's like to be hurt by people who are supposed to look after you. Not because you did anything wrong, but because you're smaller, weaker, and ignorant so the assholes got it in their heads that it means you're their punching bag, their means of making them feel good about themselves because they can kick you around.”

Kana's eyes glanced to the side and then back at him, “Are you trying to bond with me so you can trick me into sleeping with you?”

Jackie blinked and said, “No, I . . .I'm just saying I understand . . .” Okay, something wasn't going right here. Usually, this was what drew women. A connection, something for them to grasp onto to and he would reel them in. This had typically worked for the most stubborn women of whom he had inevitably conquered. 

Kana's glare darken. “If you understand, then why are you using it to get in bed? Why would you use something so hurtful for your own benefit?” She pushed his hand off her shoulder. 

“Jesus, I was . . . I was just trying to build something between us.”

“No, you're just trying to find a fast way to get me in the sack and I'm not falling for it.” She rose from the couch and stood out of his reach. “You're just as much of a bastard as I thought.”

And up the stairs she went with Jackie watching her with his mouth watering as if she were a piece of cut marble steak.

* * * 

The next day, she came down early to swim and went back upstairs before he could see her. He watched tv, his dick in all stages of arousal from her scent. Many times, he was tempted to go upstairs to be with her and maybe convince her into having sex with him. Yet, a voice in the back of his head told him to keep his distance. Let her have a chance to get used to him before he made another move. 

He needed an excuse to be around her so he could ignore that unwanted voice. And thankfully, the following day, he had one. 

She came downstairs dressed in denim shorts and a t-shirt. He saw her from the couch from where he had been watching television wearing only his pajama bottoms. “Where are you going?”

“Out,” she snapped as she strolled to the front door.

“Waitaminute, where to? And how?” He got to his feet and followed her.

“A taxi.” She grasped the knob and as she opened it, he shoved it closed over her head, “Stop!”

Being this close to her, he had to think of Uncle Frankie's old mistress who had a cesarean scar the shape of Florida to keep from pitching a tent. “I'll drive you.”

“No, I can go by myself.” She tried to pull the door open, but he held it steadfastly shut. “Let go!”

“Just save your money, you don't need a taxi. I need to go anyway to get groceries.” Which was a partial truth. They have been surviving off takeout for the last two days. “Give me twenty minutes to shower and dress.” She glared at him, distrust deep in her eyes. “Please? Let me make it up for . . .what I did.”

She chewed her lip, and seeing her do that made him want to do the same. Finally, she consented, “Fine. Hurry up.”

* * * 

He changed into a pair of new jeans and a white t-shirt stretching over his muscular shoulders and torso. Different from his usual style of a white suit, but the clothes were more favorable in the Florida heat. Kana flitted down the stairs in denim shorts and a light green shirt with her black eye hidden underneath a layer of makeup. It was slightly swollen, but it was only noticeable if one took the time to look. 

“Where do you want to go?” he asked as they got onto the main road.

“A new laptop,” Kana replied not bothering to look at him.

“Don't you have one? And what about your smartphone?” 

“It's not a smartphone. I can only call my parents or Hikari and I can't do email. My dad took mine away because I tried to buy a plane ticket to Hawaii to escape marrying you and I kept using my phone to send text messages asking my friends to come save me.” 

He stopped himself from glaring at her to say amiably, “We're going to get to the market first so let's get groceries first and then we'll get your computer.”

“Alright.”

Wow! Did they just have a peaceful exchange? Did he suggest something and she readily went along with it? Maybe he was reading too much into it, but it was a pleasant experience all the same. And it was going to end shortly.

“When we get there and before we go inside, I need to mark you again.”

Kana's eyes flashed. “No.”

“Its to keep other Alphas off you. Just a hug and don't spit at me.” He gripped the steer wheel tightly to keep his temper even. 

“I don't want your stink on me,” she growled.

“And I don't want yours either,” he lied. She was smelling wonderful and he didn't want any other Alpha to notice. 

“It's just the super market. I bet it's just going to be Betas and pair-bonded Omegas, and female Alphas there.” 

He didn't want to fight with her so he agreed, against his best wishes. “Fine. But if there's any male Alphas, I'm taking you into an empty aisle and marking you.”

It was a quiet ride to the nearby market. Kana seemed content to stare out the window and Jackie didn't really have much else to say to her. Black shades shielded his eyes from the sun and the glaring light which bounced off other cars. When they arrived at the grocery, Kana went off by herself which irked him as he had to run after her to keep her from being alone. Thankfully, she was right. It was just Betas and paired Omegas with a few Alpha females. Though they did get strange looks as Kana walked around browsing the aisles. He began to relax his guard and let her out of his sight, though he kept his ears and nose open. 

After he grabbed several six packs, Kana came around the corner and dumped an armful of cereal boxes into the cart. They were all sugary cereals with marshmallows or frosting and each had a colorful caricature on the front. He picked one up, “I haven't eaten this since I was a kid.”

“Why?”

“They started that bullshit of collecting proof of purchases and sending it in for the prize. Goddammit, the prizes should be in the cereal.” He remembered getting to the boxes before Appolonia and dumping them in a big bowl to get the prize and then pouring the cereal back into the box. He enjoyed watching her later sifting through the cereal to find the absent prize.

“I don't really care about the prizes. They were too cheap and plastic. I could make better toys when I was a kid.” 

He wanted to point out that she was still a kid, but declined. At least for now they were being relaxed and not fighting and he had quickly learned not to instigate when it was this peaceful. He would also learn that peaceful times didn't last long. 

While Kana was looking at the magazines near the checkout, an older woman approached Jackie. By her scent, he knew she was an Alpha and she carried herself like one with her graying head held high and her lips pursed in a disapproving look. “Sir, I wish to have a word with you.” She had a drawling accent. 

Jackie's dark brows rose, “Yeah?” 

He saw her face stiffen. It seemed this southern belle wasn't accustomed to being spoken to so crudely. With a set jaw, she said, “I don't know how they do things where you come from, but around here we make certain our Omegas are pair-bonded as soon as possible, especially before taking them out in public.”

Jackie didn't know if he was more surprised by her brazenness or more angry and humiliated. From the corner of his eyes he saw Kana's shoulders shake and her face turn red.

The elder Alpha took his silence as an invitation to continue. “It's a good thing I decided to do my shopping today and not have my son do it. He's an Alpha in college and doesn't need to cause a scene by going into a rut and pair-bonding an Omega in heat because an Alpha is too foolish to pair-bond his mate right away.”

Jackie's eyes narrowed, “Where I come from people mind their own fucking business or else they get their nose broken.”

The Alpha's face turned white as a sheet and then darken, “I never!”

Jackie looked her up and down, taking in her church dress and pear shape figure. “Who would, lady?”

The woman again turned both shades of white and red, her lips trembling as if she wanted to scream at him. Then she grabbed her grocery cart and stalked away fuming. Jackie watched her stalk away bemused and looked back at Kana who was watching him. Her eyes were free of the usual anger and disdain she usually had for him whenever he looked at her. Instead, it held a foreign spark of respect and maybe some admiration. 

He took this has a positive sign. Or least, something that wasn't bad for him. “Let's get out of here before some more old bitches show up.”

“Yeah,” Kana agreed.

After they loaded the groceries into the trunk and left the supermarket, Jackie had to broach the subject again. “Listen, this time I need to mark you.” 

“No, thank you.” Kana wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something foul.

“There might be Alphas in there,” Jackie warned.

“So? I'm not an Omega.”

“Jesus Christ, are you going on about that again?”

“As many times as you keep bringing it up.” 

The rest of the trip to the store was silent save for Kana giving him directions as she read the GPS directions on her phone. The store was part of a store outlet with a large parking lot. The computer store had a glass door with the words Bob's Computers and Parts stenciled on the front. Kana was out of the door the second the car stopped and before he had a chance to stop her. Cursing, he unbuckled his seat belt and tried to catch her, but she already inside. He hurried before he could loose sight of her in the store. 

The store was small and thick with the smell of cleaning chemicals and metal. Shelves lined the walls and lined in neat rows down the center. Kana was perusing the aisles and, much to Jackie's chagrin, she was attracting the eye of every Alpha in the place. 

And he could understand why. The clean air and her excitement carried her scent throughout the store and it was a beautiful, intoxicating scent. It was making him very much regret making this stop. Kana, oblivious of the attention (or stubbornly ignoring it), was shopping through the computer parts; motherboards, ram, processors, and chassis. He glanced over at the shelf of laptops already assembled and available for customers to try. 

He walked over and in a hush tone asked, “What are you doing? The laptops are over there.”

Kana lifted her eyes to where he was pointing, “No way. Those things are overpriced.”

Jackie noticed an Alpha with a mop of curly blonde hair was peeking around the end of  
the aisle, his small eyes on Kana. Jackie bared his teeth and the Alpha disappeared. He leaned towards Kana, “Listen, if money is a problem, I can buy you a laptop. Just go over there and pick one.”

Kana shot him a look, “I can build a computer twice the power and half the price than those.”

Jackie blinked, “You know how to build a computer?”

“Yeah, everyone at my school can,” Kana picked up two processors and compared them. “And I have my own money. I can pay for this myself.”

The processors she held were each several hundred dollars. Each of them the price of a laptop from the shelf. “Are you sure?”

“Oh yeah, the guys that worked for my dad pitched in to give me money as a wedding gift.” 

He swallowed as he smelled the arousal in the air. Omegas' olfactory weren't as strong as Alphas which could explain her not noticing it, however for his stronger and sensitive Alpha senses, it was making him sick and irritated. And worried.

“Kana, hurry up. We need to go.”

“In a minute. I just want to see what the speed on this is.”

“Need some help?”

A young Alpha, about Kana's age, was approaching him. He was a tall, muscular lad, likely on a sports team, wearing jeans and a school t-shirt. Before Kana could respond, Jackie nearly snarled, “We're fine. Keep walking.”

The Alpha barely paused in mid-step. His eyes flashed and his teeth gritted with a silent growl. Taking the last few steps to stand near Kana, his eyes never leaving Jackie's, he said, “I wasn't talking to you.”

Rage coursed through his veins at the blatant challenge. Other shoppers smelled the challenge and promise of a fight on the air, several left the shop and others stepped back to watch. Kana was looking between them with large eyes, finally sensing the danger. Jackie had never backed down from a fight in his life. Even as a young boy, before he presented as an Alpha, he answered and issued challenges towards anyone who threaten or crossed him. And he wasn't going to back down from a young upstart like this. 

He stepped forward, a growl rolling from his throat, “Trust me, kid, you are about to make the worst mistake of your life. Back down and keep walking.”

“Oh, I'll walk away, alright. And she'll be walking away with me,” the teen answered back with a growl of his own. 

It almost happened. Jackie nearly seized the kid by the throat and shoved him against the shelves. What he would have done next, he would never know as at that moment, a thick set Beta walked up to the pair of them with a baseball bat in hand. He was wearing thick glasses and he had the store's logo on a blue shirt. 

“Both of you back down the fuck from each other right now, or I'm going to knock your goddamn teeth out,” he snarled. He flashed his eyes on the teen, “Andrew, go home right now. I'm calling your dad and telling him you're starting fights in my store.”

The teen, Andrew, flinch and glanced towards the store manager, “Aw, Uncle Bob, I didn't mean . . .”

“Don't lie to me. Don't stand there and tell me you weren't challenging this man for an Omega.” The Beta thrust two fingers into the teen's chest and lunged into his face. The teen backpedal and nearly tripped against the shelves. “You're seventeen years old, you idiot! You're still in high school! What's your dad going to do to you if you drop out and start having babies with this girl? Kick your fucking ass that's what!”

Jackie enjoyed it when the teen's face turned bright red at the twitter of chuckles and soft laughter. He tried to say something, but it came out in small croaks which elicit more laughter from the onlookers and his face turn redder. Even Jackie couldn't keep himself from joining. The teen's eyes flashed and his bared his teeth.

The Beta roared, “Go home! You already got a belt whooping waiting for you at home. Don't make it worse!” The teen fled from the store and the door swung shut behind him. Jackie was deeply satisfied until the Beta turned on them. “Get out. Put everything back and leave my store.” 

“What!?” Kana stared at him flabbergasted. “I didn't do anything!”

“Honey,” he took on a soft tone, but it was still full of edges. “I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but you caused it all the same,” he turned to Jackie, “You need to take your Omega home and keep her there until she's pair-bonded. You know having an unpaired Omega out in public ain't safe.”

Kana stammered, but Jackie put his hand on her shoulder, “Can she at least buy the things she picked out? She really didn't do anything and I didn't cause that standoff.” 

He had never been kicked out of a place before. No one would dare to do so to a member of the Franchetti family, especially to the Don's adopted nephew. It was ironic that he was being removed without actually doing anything to warrant it after all the times he had started fights and caused problems in other establishments. Despite finding it amusing, it still pissed him off.

“Mister, the majority of my business doesn't come from tourists, it comes from the locals. If I start favoring tourists who cause problems in my store, than I loose the customers who are around all year and I'll be out of business by the end of Fall,” Bob said sternly. “Take my advice. Take her home and pair-bond her before taking her out again.”

“SCREW YOU!!!” Kana screamed. She threw the parts she had selected across the store drawing gasps from the remaining onlookers. She spun on her heel and stormed outside. 

Jackie followed her out. Kana was snatching at the door handle so hard it was popping. “Hey! Waitaminute, let me unlock it!”

He unlocked it with the car remote and Kana wrenched the door and flung herself inside. As soon as he got in and shut the door, she rounded on him, “If you dare try to pair-bond with me, I'll kill myself. Do you understand! I rather die than be pair-bonded!”

“Calm down!”

“No! That's what you're going to do! Take me home and pair-bond me! You stay away from me!” She was near hysterics. Her eyes brimmed with tears and Jackie feared she was going to jump out of the car and runaway.

The pair-bond had to happen. It was . . . it was as nature intended. An Alpha and Omega pair-bonded. It was as natural as fish in the sea and birds in the air. Yet, for some reason this Omega was fighting it with everything she had. “How about we try another store?”

She looked at him as if he was trying to offer her a poisoned candy bar. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. But . . . I have to mark you when we get there. I'm serious about this.”

She bit her lip and glowered sullenly. And with just the barest of motions, she nodded, “Okay.”

He was surprised by how excited he was by her yielding to being marked. His hands felt sweaty on the steer wheel and he had to clutch it to keep from reaching for her right then and there. She was still upset and her scent was filling the car with fear and anger. What the hell was she so scared of? 

“Just no pair-bond, okay? I'll do the marking, but no pair-bonding, you have to promise.”

He wanted to reach out and comfort her. To ease her fears and sooth her pounding heart, but he knew if he touched her, she would go into hysterics. “We can't pair-bond. You're not an Omega, remember?”

He played into her self-delusion, letting her own lie ease her fear. She swallowed, her eyes rapidly blinking as she calmed down. “That's right. . .”

“We'll go to another store, but you're getting an already built laptop. We're going to be quick, in and out of there and I'll pay the bill for it. Okay?”

She nodded, not offering any protest. 

“Find us another computer store.”

Without a word, she took out her smart phone and looked up another store on her GPS. 

Yet again, they rode in silence, but full of thought. An unpaired Omega was considered fair game unless she was paired; even if she was married. They had been lucky it was some dumb teenager that came along and not a pack of Alphas. Jackie was sure he could handle himself in a brawl, but he feared Kana getting caught up in the violence. It wouldn't the first time an Omega was critical injured while being fought over by Alphas. He was sorely tempted to change directions and take them back to the beach house, but he continued to follow Kana's instructions. 

As much as he regretted admitting it to himself, Bob the Beta, was right. It was too dangerous for Kana to go about unpaired. He needed to create the bond as soon as possible despite whatever Kana's hang ups about it were. 

They arrived at a second store which sold office supplies along with computers. It was smaller and dingy compared to Bob's shop, but according to the website it had some impressive laptops. They sat in the vehicle, Jackie with his hands gripping the steering wheel and Kana with her hand on the door handle as if tempted to just run out of the car. 

Jackie didn't know why he was so nervous. A hug was nothing compared compared to the hundreds of things he had done with hundreds of women. Maybe he was just afraid of being bitten or spit on again. He swallowed and thought of something to say, but he didn't have a chance to speak as Kana suddenly leaned over and brushed herself against him and then jumped out of the car. 

“Hey!” He called as she ran into the store. “That wasn't enough!” He bailed out of the car after her. When he entered the store, he lowered his voice to a hiss, “Get back here.”

Kana, pointedly ignored him and browsed the laptops. At least, this time it should go faster. He eyed the handful of customers already doing their own shopping. There were a few Betas and a paired Alpha; no unpaired Alphas to compete with. He tried to stay close to Kana, but each time she hurried away to the other side of the shop. So he kept his distance with her in eyesight at all times. 

He watch her choose a laptop which was an Alienware. It was pricey, more than Jackie would have spent on a laptop, but he didn't want to argue. When she came up silently with a hand held out for the payment, he laid a credit card on her open palm and told her to hurry to she responded with a sniff and a toss of her head. 

He went and waited by the door and walk her back to the car once she finished purchasing the laptop.

* * * 

Kana set the box on the counter where a lanky Beta stood at the cash register. “Just this, please.”

He down at the box and sniffed, “Isn't this a little too hard core for you?”

Kana blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I mean, you're an Omega right? Shouldn't you be home nesting and making babies and not playing around with equipment like this?” There was a jealous gleam in his eye. Jealousy that she, a lowly Omega, could afford a laptop which was astronomically out of his price range. “There's a nursery store across the street. I think they have more of what you need there.”

Kana glowered and her lips pursed, “Look, I just want to buy this and leave. Okay?”

“Sorry, I don't think I should sell you this computer.” The Beta was leering at her, taking pleasure in needling her. “Omegas should really concentrate on homemaking and child rearing.”

“Listen, asshole, I'm not an Omega,” she growled. 

“Oh, really?” He smirked. “I can smell your Omega stink from the moment you came in. So take your skinny ass and get back on your Alphas cock and spin.”

Finally, Jackie appeared at her side, seeing the heated exchange from the door. “What's going on?”

“Hey, man, you need to curb your Omega. She's getting out of hand,” the Beta said indicting her with a stick thin finger.

She gnashed her teeth, as if tempted to bite off that finger. “He won't sell me the computer.”

“Look, we're in a hurry. If you don't mind, just sell us the computer and I'll leave you a nice tip, okay?” Jackie reached into his pocket for his wallet. With a guy like this, Jackie would have giving him a couple broken ribs, but now he wanted to get Kana back to the beach house as soon as possible. 

The Beta looked offended, “You think you rich tourists can come in here and flash money and get your way? Sorry, pal, you can't buy me. Now take your little Omega and scram. I got the right to refuse service to anyone.”

Jackie was going to snarl and intimidate this Beta into submission, but at the moment, Kana grabbed the Alienware laptop and threw it at the Beta. It hit his head with a dull thud and the Beta began howling and cursing, but the little Omega wasn't finished. She ran around the counter and charged him with fists raised. He raised an arm to ward off her blows, but it made an ample target for her teeth. The Beta screamed as her teeth sank into his arm and he fell back with her atop of him. Kana rose up, sitting his chest and her fists deliver blow after blow at his head. Thankfully for the Beta, Kana wasn't an experienced fighter like Jackie, so her blows didn't have the power behind them to do much damage, but the Beta screamed nonetheless. 

She was snarling and cursing at him between the blows, “I'm not an Omega! I'm not an Omega! I'm not an Omega!”

Jackie stooped and lifted her off. She continued swinging her fists and once they were out of reach of dealing any blows, she kicked at his shins Jackie towed her away from the now sobbing Beta who was curling up into a fetal position. Kana continued screaming and struggling until Jackie brought her to the door and spun her around.

“Kana! Stop it! Jesus Christ, stop it right now.”

“Shut up!” she screamed. Tears were rolling down her face. 

“Go wait in the car.” 

“No!”

“Get in the fucking car!”

Kana glared at him with indignation and for a moment, Jackie believed she was going to start swinging on him, but she went out the door without another word. Jackie stalked back to the counter where the Beta was slowly recovering. He was slowly rising to his feet, using the counter to support his weight. He was muttering about lawsuit and calling the police and his head was bowed low. He didn't see Jackie until the Alpha grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him across the counter, then he was face to face with an enraged Alpha.

“You better count yourself lucky we're not in New York City where my family, the Franchetti's run things. I'd have your guts spread out all over the street with your head and body on opposite corners for the disrespect your just showed my mate,” he hissed into his face. He noticed the Beta's eyes widen. “Good, you recognize the name. Now because I'm on my honeymoon and I don't want to stir up trouble, here is what's going to happen; you're selling me this laptop at a huge discount to make up for the rude customer service you gave my wife. You're not going to call the police, nor tell anyone what happened here. Because, let's face it, you just got your ass kicked by an Omega which is pretty embarrassing and I know you don't want that getting out so if there is a security camera in here, you'll want to have the video of that erased before anyone sees it. Capice?”

The Beta gulped and nodded silently, finally loosing the ability for speech.

Jackie gave him a considering look and then decked him. The Beta collapsed against the back wall and slid to the floor. Jackie laid a hundred dollar bill on the counter and grabbed the same laptop from the shelf before exiting the store. 

Kana was sitting on the street curb. Her eyes were still red brimmed from crying and she was furiously rubbing them on her sleeve. Jackie walked over holding the Alienware laptop box in his hands. He wanted to upbraid her for not getting in car, but instead chose to show her the box. “I got it.”

Kana sniffed, “Well, good for you. You want a cookie or something?”

Jackie chewed the inside of his cheek. His hands gripped the box so tighten it indented slightly. “Just get in the car and let's go home.”

“Why? So you can pair-bond me?” Kana snapped, glaring at him. 

“You know what? Yeah, so we can do the fucking pair-bond. If I hadda done it the first night we wouldn't have gone through all the shit today and you'd probably be a bit more grateful for this.” He opened the backseat and tossed the computer in. “Now get in the fucking car.”

“No.” 

He slammed the door shut. “Oh, I am not in the fucking mood for bullshit, little girl. Get in the fucking car, right now.”

She was standing, glaring at him through streaming tears. “No! I'm not going anywhere with you!”

He lunged for her, his hand sweeping to catch her arm, but she stumbled back off the curb. As he advanced on her, she backed away onto the road growling and hissing at him. From the corner of his eye, he saw the oncoming car that was now slowing down.

He moved. If he had been a Beta and not have the agility and speed awarded to him for being an Alpha or if he hadn't the training of his youth on the streets, then he might not have made it. He grabbed Kana by the arm and pulled her to him. The strength of his pull yanked her off her feet and she was momentarily airborne. The car barely missed hitting her shoes as it passed and Jackie caught her in his arms. 

With his heart racing and fear chilling his blood, he looked over his Omega. “Christ! Jesus Christ! Are you alright?”

“Let go!” She wailed, pushing at his chest shoulders. Her voice was shrilled and she twisted in his grip like an angry cat. 

“Stop it, Kana! Just calm down!”

She slapped him. His cheek burned from her nails dragging across the skin. The sting of the scratch made his eyes water, but all he saw was red. Before he could collect himself, his hand swung and caught her cheek with the back of it with a pop. Then, his anger not sated, he seized her by the shoulders and shook her so hard her teeth rattled. “You little bitch!”

He was able to stop himself before he did any serious damage. With a venomous snarl that had made many a gangster piss himself, he roared so loud it tore his throat, “GET IN THE GODDAMN CAR NOW!!!”

Kana hiccuped. Her eyes were wide and face a bright red. Trembling, she made her way to the car and Jackie felt a worm of satisfaction that he had shown her her place. Then, the anger evaporated when he smelled her fear. It was sweet, almost sickly sweet. He had smelled fear before, it was a common enough aroma in his line of work, but now it was making him sick. He stayed on the street to give his stomach time to settle. Kana was watching him from the passenger seat and when he saw her eyes, he felt cold.

They were frightened eyes. Wide with small pupils, but there was a gleam of satisfaction behind them. An achievement that he had confirmed all her suspicions and thoughts about him. That he had resorted to her father's own methods to control her and he was no better than Maki in that regard. 

Then guilt reared its unpleasant head and Jackie cursed at himself. How could he have just . . .lost it? Never before had he been so rough with a female. Setting aside female witnesses and borrowers that refused to pay back what was owed with interest, he had never had to use physical means to force a woman to do what he wanted. All he needed was guile and charm along with his handsome appearance and wealth to do it. Women had always let him have his way with them and when he was cruel, it was calculated and delivered deftly. This was . . .him out of his mind with rage at Kana. 

He got into the car and started the engine. Kana leaned against her passenger door and said nothing. It was a silent trip back to the beach house. Neither of them spoke to the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For information about the next chapter, go to my tumblr: RebelCourtesan


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